Table of Contents

1.0 INTRODUCTION
2.0 BACKGROUND
3.0 SOURCES OF DISSOLVED GAS SUPERSATURATION
4.0 REPORTING AND MEASUREMENT OF DISSOLVED GAS LEVELS
5.0 ENVIRONMENTAL LEVELS OF DISSOLVED GASES
6.0 GAS BUBBLE TRAUMA IN FRESH WATER ORGANISMS
7.0 GAS BUBBLE TRAUMA IN MARINE ORGANISMS
8.0 GUIDELINE DEVELOPMENT - FRESH WATER
9.0 GUIDELINE DEVELOPMENT - MARINE WATER
10.0 RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT NEEDS
11.0 REFERENCES
APPENDIX A
APPENDIX B
APPENDIX C
APPENDIX D
APPENDIX E

September, 1994

Prepared for

BC Ministry of Environment
Canada Department of Fisheries and Oceans
Environment Canada

Prepared by

L. E. Fidler and S. B. Miller
of
Aspen Applied Sciences Ltd.
Valemount, BC V0E 2Z0
Table of Contents

Acknowledgments

The authors wish to acknowledge the assistance of several people and agencies in the preparation of this report. The authors wish to express their appreciation to the BC Ministry of Environment, Lands and Parks for supporting the development of this document and in particular the advice and encouragement of Dr. Narender Nagpal and George Butcher of that agency. The authors also wish to thank Fred Mah of Environment Canada for supporting the development of these guidelines.

The many discussions over the years with Dr. Don Alderdice, John Jensen, and Bill McLean of the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, with Dr. Mark Shrimpton and Dr. Dave Randall of the University of British Columbia, and with Dr. John Colt of Montgomery Watson, Bellevue, Washington provided considerable insight into the phenomena associated with Gas Bubble Trauma (GBT) in fish and contributed immensely to the authors' understanding of the subject. In addition, the authors wish to express their appreciation to Ms. Dorit Mason for her efficient retrieval of papers from the scientific literature. The photographs showing signs of GBT in fish, which were supplied by Dr. Robert White of Montana State University, added greatly to this report.