Total suspended solids impact on native fish species in the Bow River

水中的总悬浮固体(TSS)对鱼类的影响与空气中的粉尘和颗粒对人类的影响大致相同。这是因为鱼用鳃吸水，就像我们用肺呼吸空气一样。此外，鱼的鳃是排泄氨等废物的关键，也是维持动物整体离子和酸碱平衡的关键。因此，TSS有可能堵塞和破坏鱼的鳃，这将影响动物的生理，导致它们应激并影响生长。因此，必须管理TSS的数量，以及了解通过雨水径流和污水处理污水排放进入河流的颗粒的大小。卡尔加里市已经制定了总负荷管理计划(TLMP)，该计划确定了由于对鱼类和鱼类栖息地的直接影响而需要管理TSS负荷的必要性。该项目将确定目前的TSS对鱼类影响的指南是否最适合流经卡尔加里市的弓河中的鱼类，该指南基于一个已有20年历史的主要针对鲑鱼的模型。我们将结合新的技术和分析，以更好地了解TSS对亚致命压力的影响，使用几种原产于弓河的鱼类。这将为我们提供一个最能反映弓河状况的模型，并为该市更好地了解TSS相互作用和制定特定地点的TSS阈值提供指导。这也将确保研究计划的结果可以立即转化为改进的弓河水质模型，这将有助于指导卡尔加里的TLMP在未来努力保护弓河水生生物。这项工作是卡尔加里市与卡尔加里大学和威尔弗里德·劳里埃大学两所大学的专家合作开展的，目的是解决一个具有战略重要性的问题。从这个项目中获得的基本知识和开发的模型将适用于加拿大其他城市和全球各地，以最好地管理其水资源。

Total suspended solids (TSS) in the water have much the same effects on fish as dust and particulates in the air have on humans. This is because fish breathe water using their gills like we breathe air using our lungs. Also, fish gills are essential for excreting waste products like ammonia, and for maintaining the overall ion and acid-base balance of the animal. Consequently, TSS has the potential to clog and damage fish gills, which will affect the physiology of the animal causing them stress and affecting growth. As a result, it is essential to manage the amount of TSS, as well as understand the size of the particles, entering the river through stormwater run-offs and sewage treatment effluent discharge. The city of Calgary has established a total loading management plan (TLMP) that identified the need to manage TSS loads due to the direct impact on fish and fish habitat. This project will determine if the current guideline for the TSS impact on fish, which is based on a 20 year old model developed mostly for salmonids, are best suited for the fishes in the Bow River that flows through the city of Calgary. We will incorporate new techniques and analyses to get a better understanding of the effect of TSS on sublethal stress using several species of fish native to the Bow River. This will provide us with a model that best reflects the conditions of the Bow River and provide guidance to the City to better understand TSS interaction and to develop site-specific TSS thresholds. This will also ensure the outcome of the research program results can be immediately translated into an improved Bow River Water Quality Model, which will help guide Calgary's TLMP in working towards the protection of aquatic life in the Bow River into the future. This work is a collaborative effort between the city of Calgary and experts from two Universities, the University of Calgary and the Wilfrid Laurier University, to address a problem of strategic importance. The fundamental knowledge gained from this project, and the model developed, will be applicable to other Canadian cities and across the globe to best manage their water resources.