B.C. research suggests road salt linked to death and deformities in salmon
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Researchers at the University of British Columbia say they’ve found evidence suggesting high levels of road salt in B.C. streams can cause death and deformities in young salmon.
Zoology students Carley Winter and Clare Kilgour at the university say they’re three years into a five-year study on the impacts of road salt on freshwater streams in the Lower Mainland and how they affect salmon eggs and young fry.
Kilgour says the results are not yet peer-reviewed, but their research has found that salt levels in dozens of streams peak during the winter months and exceed water quality guidelines when “pulses” of salt enter freshwater systems where salmon spawn.
Winter says researchers exposed coho salmon eggs to salt after they were fertilized and to young fry after they hatched, finding that exposure to a “salt pulse” above recommended levels can cause eggs to die and a small percentage of fry to become deformed.
