Canada’s National Aquatic Biological Specimen Bank and Database

Environment Canada collects biological samples from a number of lakes and rivers across Canada in support of federally mandated programs. Environment Canada has collected fish and invertebrates from the Great Lakes since 1977 in support of the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement (GLWQA). More recently, samples have been collected nationally to support Canada's Chemicals Management Plan and the Clean Air Regulatory Agenda. Environment Canada also maintains a specimen bank of frozen tissues which is a requirement of the GLWQA and is an integral part of departmental monitoring and research programs. The National Aquatic Biological Specimen Bank (NABSB) is located in a dedicated facility at the Canada Centre for Inland Waters in Burlington, Ontario. The NABSB holds more than 37,000 samples of fish and invertebrates collected over the last 30+ years of environmental monitoring in Canada. Research conducted using samples from the NABSB has produced more than 60 scientific publications, reports and book chapters.

Specimen Collection

• The primary targets for collection are top predator fish species such as lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush), walleye (Sander vitreus), and lake whitefish(Coregonus clupeaformis)
• Forage fish species targeted for collection vary by waterbody. In the Great Lakes these are typically alewife (Alosa pseudoharengus), rainbow smelt (Osmerus mordax), and slimy sculpin (Cottus cognatus)
• Plankton (>153 µm) and two key components of the profundal food web (Mysis relicta and Diporeia hoyi) are also targeted for collection at monitoring sites in the Great Lakes

Summary of the holdings of the National Aquatic Biological Specimen Bank - January 2012

Family Name	Scientific Name	Common Name	# of specimens	# of sub-samples
Fish
Acipenseridae	Acipenser fulvescens	lake sturgeon	8	33
Anguillidae	Anguilla rostrata	amercian eel	95	690
Anguillidae	Anguilla anguilla	european eel	9	106
Catostomidae	Catostomus commersonii	white sucker	213	1845
Catostomidae	Catostomus cotostomus	longnose sucker	20	71
Centrarchidae	Micropterus dolomieu	smallmouth bass	87	929
Centrarchidae	Micropterus salmoides	largemouth bass	1	4
Clupeidae	Alosa pseudoharengus	alewife	454	785
Clupeidae	Dorosoma cepedianum	gizzard shad	35
Cottidae	Cottus aper	prickly sculpin	14	23
Cottidae	Cottus cognatus	slimy sculpin	411	783
Cottidae	Cottus ricei	spoonhead sculpin	10	33
Cottidae	Myoxocephalus thompsonii	deepwater sculpin	226	474
Cyprinidae	Couesius plumbeus	lake chub	21	53
Cyprinidae	Cyprinus carpio	common carp	101	474
Cyprinidae	Luxilus cornutus	common shiner	22	50
Cyprinidae	Notemigonus crysoleucas	golden shiner	3	5
Cyprinidae	Notropus atherinoides	emerald shiner	52	133
Cyprinidae	Notropis hudsonius	spottail shiner	4	4
Cyprinidae	Phoxinus eos	northern redbelly dace	4	4
Cyprinidae	Rhinichthys cataractae	longnose dace	1	1
Cyprinidae	Semotilus atromaculatus	creek chub	3	4
Esocidae	Esox lucius	northern pike	245	2726
Esocidae	Esox masquinongy	muskellunge	3	41
Esocidae	Esox niger	chain pickerel	53	408
Gadidae	Lota lota	burbot	269	778
Gasterosteidae	Gasterosteus aculeatus aculeatus	three-spined stickleback	4	7
Gobiidae	Neogobius melanostomus	round goby	162	411
Hiodontidae	Hiodon alosoides	goldeye	2	2
Hiodontidae	Hiodon tergisus	mooneye	15	46
Ictaluridae	Ameiurus nebulosus	brown bullhead	43	178
Ictaluridae	Ictalurus punctatus	channel catfish	129	978
Moronidae	Morone americana	white perch	88	266
Moronidae	Morone chrysops	white bass	9	9
Osmeridae	Osmerus mordax	rainbow smelt	1009
Percidae	Etheostoma blennoides	greenside darter	6	6
Percidae	Perca flavescens	yellow perch	310	709
Percidae	Sander vitreus	walleye	2368	9919
Percidae	Stizostedion canadense	sauger	29	141
Percopsidae	Percopsis omiscomaycus	trout perch	24	66
Petromyzontidae	Petromyzon marinus	sea lamprey	190	313
Salmonidae	Coregonus spp.	cisco	235	643
Salmonidae	Coregonus clupeaformis	lake whitefish	589	2049
Salmonidae	Coregonus hoyi	bloater	69	176
Salmonidae	Oncorhynchus clarki clarki	cutthroat trout	61	221
Salmonidae	Oncorhynchus gorbuscha	pink salmon	32	32
Salmonidae	Oncorhynchus kisutch	coho salmon	364	441
Salmonidae	Oncorhynchus mykiss	rainbow trout	189	447
Salmonidae	Oncorhynchus tshawytscha	chinook salmon	2	2
Salmonidae	Prosopium coulterii	pygmy whitefish	5	20
Salmonidae	Prosopium cylindraceum	round whitefish	85	255
Salmonidae	Prosopium williamsonii	mountain whitefish	11	125
Salmonidae	Salmo trutta	brown trout	7	8
Salmonidae	Salvelinus fontinalis	brook trout	189	529
Salmonidae	Salvelinus fontinalis X namaycush	splake	307	411
Salmonidae	Salvelinus namaycush	lake trout	11214	48916
Sciaenidae	Aplodinotus grunniens	freshwater drum	145	649
Invertebrates
Pontoporeiidae	Diporeia hoyi		695	705
Mysidae	Mysis relicta	opossum shrimp	827	872
		Bulk plankton (153µm)	966	1040
		Other invertebrates	110	116
TOTAL
			22855	83025

Storage Conditions

Each specimen is homogenized and divided into 5 to 15 subsamples of ~20 g. All samples are stored at -80°C in a dedicated climate-controlled building with continuous monitoring of security and storage conditions. In the event of power failure, electricity to the facility is maintained by backup generators. In the event of mechanical failure in any of the freezer units, temperature sensors will trigger the release of liquid CO₂ to maintain freezing temperatures until the specimens can be manually transferred to another freezer.

Information Management

All information related to the NABSB is maintained within a secured relational database. All specimens received and/or collected are registered and assigned with successive and unique identification numbers. The database maintains all biological data (length, age, etc.) associated with each specimen number as well as data with regard to location, collection methods, storage and the results of all chemical analyses that have been performed on the specimen. We are continually working to improve the database to increase its functionality and access to the data within.

Access to Specimens

Tissue samples from the NABSB are available for collaborative research projects. The release of specimens for research purposes will adhere to Environment Canada’s policy which follows these general principles:

• The research proposed has been reviewed for scientific merit
• There is sufficient tissue to issue without unduly depleting the total specimen.  If a request would exhaust the remaining tissue then the rationale for issuing it will be stringent
• Other means of obtaining the information have been explored and are not possible
• Co-authorship will be given on resulting publications along with acknowledgement of the NABSB

For more information on the process to initiate a request for samples and/or data from the NABSB please contact NABSB@ec.gc.ca.

Science and Technology into Action to Benefit Canadians - Environment Canada's National Environmental Specimen Banks: Following a chemical trail from the past