Department of Biology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON K1N 6N5, Canada.
Department of Biology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON K1N 6N5, Canada.
Sci Total Environ. 2022 Aug 10;833:155100. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.155100. Epub 2022 Apr 6.
Farming of carnivorous animals for pelts potentially contaminates nearby ecosystems because animal feed and waste may contain persistent organic pollutants (POPs) and metals. Mink farms in Nova Scotia (NS), Canada, provide mink with feed partially composed of marine fish meal. To test whether mink farms potentially contribute contaminants to nearby lakes, we quantified organochlorine pesticides (OCP), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB), and total mercury (THg) in mink/aquaculture feed, waste, and sediment collected from 14 lakes within rural southwest NS where mink farms are abundant and have operated for decades. Mercury, PCBs, dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT), hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH), and dieldrin were present in mink/aquaculture feed and mink waste, indicating they are potential contaminant sources. Lakes with mink farms in their catchment exhibited significantly higher THg than lakes downstream of mink farming activity and reference lakes (p < 0.0001) after the intensification of mink farming in 1980, indicating mink farming activity is likely associated with increased lacustrine THg. Sedimentary ƩPCB was elevated in lakes with mink farms in their catchments, suggesting possible PCB contributions from mink farming, local agriculture, and atmospheric deposition. Elevated ƩDDT in lakes near mink farms relative to reference lakes suggests a possible enrichment related to mink farming, although mixed land use and historical DDT usage related to forestry in the region complicates DDT source attribution. Maximum dieldrin and HCH in lake sediment occurred coeval with peak worldwide usage in the 1970s and are unlikely to be associated with local mink farming. Lakes with mink farming activities in their catchments were associated with increased THg, ƩPCB, and possibly ƩDDT, suggesting a possible connection between marine fish meal, fur farms, and aquatic ecosystems in NS.
为了皮毛而养殖肉食性动物可能会污染附近的生态系统，因为动物饲料和废物可能含有持久性有机污染物（POPs）和金属。加拿大新斯科舍省（NS）的貂养殖场用部分海洋鱼粉来喂养貂。为了测试貂养殖场是否有可能向附近的湖泊贡献污染物，我们对从新斯科舍省西南部 14 个农村湖泊中采集的貂/水产养殖饲料、废物和沉积物中的有机氯农药（OCP）、多氯联苯（PCB）和总汞（THg）进行了定量分析，这些湖泊中存在大量养殖貂的养殖场，并且已经运营了几十年。汞、多氯联苯、滴滴涕（DDT）、六氯环己烷（HCH）和狄氏剂存在于貂/水产养殖饲料和貂废物中，表明它们是潜在的污染物来源。在 1980 年貂养殖活动加剧后，有貂养殖场集水区的湖泊中 THg 明显高于貂养殖活动下游的湖泊和对照湖泊（p<0.0001），表明貂养殖活动可能与湖泊中 THg 的增加有关。有貂养殖场集水区的湖泊中沉积物的 ƩPCB 升高，表明貂养殖、当地农业和大气沉降可能是 PCB 的来源。与对照湖泊相比，靠近貂养殖场的湖泊中 ƩDDT 升高，表明可能与貂养殖有关，但该地区混合的土地利用和与林业有关的历史 DDT 使用情况使 DDT 的来源归因复杂化。湖泊沉积物中最高的狄氏剂和 HCH 与 20 世纪 70 年代全球使用高峰期同时出现，不太可能与当地的貂养殖有关。集水区有貂养殖场的湖泊与 THg、ƩPCB 和可能的 ƩDDT 升高有关，这表明新斯科舍省的海洋鱼粉、毛皮养殖场和水生生态系统之间可能存在联系。
