Glyphosate residue found near CN rail tracks
The T. Buck Suzuki Environmental Foundation says a review of dead plant foliage collected from the CN rail line between Terrace and Prince Rupert along the Skeena River and tributaries turned up Glyphosate, the active ingredient in herbicides like Roundup.
The foundation, which launched a provincial complaint about improper use of pesticides along the tracks, commissioned the report by a Simon Fraser University aquatic toxicology expert after it discovered swaths of dead vegitation along the CN line last month.
Luanne Roth with the Foundation says the findings pose a population concern for Skeena salmon.
Roth says, based on the amount of dead vegetation adjacent to and overhanging the water along the over hundred kilometer stretch, she believes that a tremendous amount of herbicide likely entered the water, putting fish at risk.
CFNR has contacted the Ministry of Environment about its response to a complaint launched by the T. Buck Suzuki Foundation into the pesticide use.