7.0 Towards a solution
7.1 Objective One: Mesocosm Enrichment Experiment
There are several improvements that need to be made to the mesocosm experiment design. Firstly, the mesocosm bag material needs to be of higher quality to ensure multiple 21-day trials can be completed. Secondly, the improvement of equipment (field and lab) will ensure there is one standard protocol used throughout the experiment to reduce errors within the experiment. Once the improvements to the design are completed the experiment can be run thoroughly and under different manipulations. The inclusion of fish trials can improve the knowledge on how toxins move through the food-web, ultimately ending in human consumption. Pairing the mesocosm experiment data with climatic and land-use data could influence the development of prediction models for the Napoleon Gulf.
7.2 Objective Two: Observational Community Visits
Due to ethical and budget restrictions we were unable to complete the initial community engagement project developed during the placement. Therefore, a focus-group project to collect qualitative data has been set up to leave with NaFIRRI for a future collaboration with the University of Saskatchewan’s Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Scholarship. The focus group questions, appendix E, were developed specifically for three demographics: fisherman, women, and children living in the Napoleon Gulf region.
Through the observational visits (the identification of sources of nutrients, exposure routes of toxins, and the potential health risks) four areas of improvement were identified. First, from the observational data it is clear that improving access to affordable clean drinking water and, sanitation and hygiene facilities would greatly reduce the risks associated to HABs for these communities. Providing clean drinking water reduces potential consumption of toxins as well as reduces physical exposure. Improving sanitation and hygiene facilities reduces exposure and limits excess nutrient addition from human activities (waste, bathing, washing etc.) entering into the lake. Secondly, an area identified for improvement is understanding how risk is communicated through these communities (both within local villages and urban centers) and developing a culturally appropriate method of communicating risks of HABs to the most vulnerable. Thirdly, continue the development of community-based participatory research projects with focuses on public health and epidemiology in the Napoleon Gulf. Finally, developing health-environment based education initiatives which promote the protection of human and environment health.