Relationship between in feed drugs, antibiotics and organic enrichment in marine sediments at Canadian Atlantic salmon aquaculture sites.

The presence of in-feed anti-sea lice drugs and their relationship with organic enrichment is poorly understood in sediment surrounding salmon farms. Using data from an aquaculture monitoring program (2018-2020), we describe this relationship at ten sites in four Canadian provinces. Three anti-sea lice pesticides (lufenuron, teflubenzuron, emamectin benzoate and metabolite desmethyl emamectin benzoate), and one antibiotic (oxytetracycline) were detected. Concentrations were often below limits of quantification. Values are also lower than those reported in other aquaculture salmon-producing countries. Highest concentrations, along with organic enrichment, were observed ~200 m of cages with lower concentrations detected up to 1.5 km away. Most samples had at least two drugs present: 75.2 % (British Columbia), 91.4 % (Newfoundland), and 54.8 % (New Brunswick/Nova Scotia) highlighting the potential for cumulative effects. Emamectin benzoate and oxytetracycline were detected four and three years respectively after last known treatments, demonstrating the need for research on overall persistence of compounds.

Assessing trace-elements as indicators of marine finfish aquaculture across three distinct Canadian coastal regions.

Several trace-elements have been identified as indicators of finfish aquaculture organic enrichment. In this study, sediment sampling at finfish farms was completed as part of an Aquaculture Monitoring Program in three distinct Canadian regions. Despite diverse datasets, multivariate analyses show a consistent clustering of known direct (Cu and Zn) and indirect (Cd, Mo and U) tracers of aquaculture activities with sediment organic matter (OM) and/or total dissolved sulfides concentrations. OM content was also a predictor of Cu, Zn, Mo and U concentrations according to decision tree analyses. Distance from cages did not emerge as a strong driver of differences among sampling points; however, a tendency towards negative associations is clear especially for Zn. Enriched stations as determined after geochemical normalization were mostly localized within 150 m of net-pens. Selected trace-elements (in particular Zn) can be useful indicators of aquaculture organic enrichment in different ecosystems and valuable tools for monitoring programs.

Species- and size-specific infection of snails by Cyclocoelum mutabile (Digenea: Cyclocoelidae).

Infectivity of Cyclocoelum mutabile miracidia to 9 species and up to 4 size classes of pulmonate snails at 14, 16, and 20 C was studied under laboratory conditions. Of the 9 species examined, 6 (Stagnicola elodes, Lymnaea stagnalis, Gyraulus parvus, Gyraulus circumstriatus, Promenetus exacuous, and Armiger crista) were highly susceptible (infection success > or = 25%), 2 (Physa jennessi and Helisoma trivolvis) had low susceptibility (infection success < 25%, > 0), and 1 (Physa gyrina) was not susceptible to infection. Within highly susceptible species, snail size was negatively related to susceptibility and temperature had variable effects. Infection success was not affected by temperature or snail size in species with low susceptibility. Production of cercariae was negatively correlated with susceptibility among snails of different sizes and species, but was not influenced by snail size for a given species. Among species, metacercariae production was typically higher in lymnaeids than in either planorbids or physids. Results of experiments where miracidia were provided with a choice of 2 different snails suggest that they do not discriminate between species with high and low susceptibility.

Field studies on the transmission and survival of Cyclocoelum mutabile (Digenea) infections in natural snail populations in southern Manitoba, Canada.

The transmission of Cyclocoelum mutabile to snails was examined under natural conditions by sampling the snail communities of 4 natural ponds that had been exposed experimentally to infection by laboratory-infected coots (Fulica americana). Five of 6 snail species in the ponds, Physa jennessi, Promenetus exacuous, Armiger crista, Gyraulus parvus, and Stagnicola elodes, became infected. No natural infections were found in the few Helisoma trivolvis examined. The second most abundant species Promenetus exacuous was infected most often, whereas Physa jennessi, the most abundant species present, was rarely infected. The temporal pattern of infections in the snail community suggests the transmission window of this parasite in southern Manitoba is limited by both the 14 C hatching threshold of the fluke eggs and the seasonality of ovigerous infections in the coot host. No naturally overwintering infections were found in snails from these ponds, which were examined the following spring. None of the 1,120 laboratory-infected snails placed in cages and held overwinter in the ponds survived, whereas 14 of the 1,120 uninfected control snails kept in the same cages survived. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that C. mutabile must be reestablished in northern waterfowl breeding areas each spring.