Technical Bulletin No. 0051: Aquatic Biology Report: The Effects of Kraft Mill Waste Liquors and Some of Their Components on Certain Salmonid Fishes of the Pacific Northwest

The report herein enclosed is a recapitulation of several years of study by the Department of Fish and Game Management of Oregon State College on the effect of kraft mill waste and its components on aquatic life common to the Northwest. This research parallels to a large degree that done by the National Council's project at the Institute of Paper Chemistry on the effect of these wastes on the fauna of eastern and southern streams. Because of the highly sensitive nature of the western species of fish, it was believed possible that they would be more susceptible to potentially toxic kraft waste component. In general, the data contained in this report indicates that this is not the case since the minimum lethal concentrations observed were very similar to those found for eastern and southern species. Of particular interest are the investigations in which kraft mill waste was introduced into an artificial stream containing native fish. This unique method of study has provided valuable information in respect to safe dilution ratios.