Fathom Five National Marine Park is undergoing a pilot study to measure contaminants in the water.
Ecologist at the park in Tobermory Cavan Harpur says the study, in partnership with the University of Trent, comes as Parks Canada is developing a monitoring program for the park.
“We are piloting a contaminant monitoring program that’s developed by the United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration called Mussel Watch,” says Harpur.
He says the program uses mussels and oysters to assess environmental contamination in the coastal waters of the US, including the Great Lakes.
“These mussels make ideal organisms for contamination assessment because they are abundant and highly effective at filtering particles from the water including contaminants,” says Harpur.
He says using these organisms, the project team is looking to assess over 150 contaminants, which includes what are referred to as legacy contaminants.
“That’s chemicals that were once used but were banned or discontinued, a good example of that would be DDT. Others are what are referred to as contaminants of emerging concern, some of these would be flame retardants, current pesticides, personal care products and pharmaceuticals,” says Harpur.
He says the pilot started in September when they teamed up with Peel Regional Police’s underwater search and recovery unit to collect mussels.
“Right now we are shucking them and getting the prep to go to different labs for contaminant analysis,” says Harpur.
They are currently performing a feasibility assessment in hopes of expanding the pilot to include regional partners in the future.
He says the current pilot will last for three years.