Zone of impact modeling for Lake Huron cage farms

Sediment conditions have not previously been linked to freshwater aquaculture licenses, but are poised to become a major factor in approaches to regulating the industry. Proposed new sediment guidelines require that data from samples within the zone of maximum accumulation be compared with Land use Permit (LUP) boundary and reference sites but there is currently no guidance with respect to the identification of where this zone might be located. The development of a deposition modeling tool will be required to accurately identify the zone of influence of the farms for the purposes of regulatory sampling efforts. Central & Arctic Region is in the process of testing DEPOMOD, which is a deposition modelling tool developed for, and in use in the marine environment. It has not yet been tested in freshwater. The purpose of this proposal is to complete data collection at freshwater farms and to process the samples in preparation for intended tests of the DEPOMOD model in 2010/11.

For further information, please contact: project co-leaders, Cheryl Podemski at Cheryl.Podemski@dfo-mpo.gc.ca, or Doug Geiling at Doug.Geiling@dfo-mpo.gc.ca.