Couldnt post in fishing news so........

[misfish]

Interesting .

 

 

 

 

 

Thu Sep 16, 11:00 PM

 

 

By Bob Weber, The Canadian Press

 

 

 

EDMONTON - The fish are hard to look at.

 

http://ca.news.yahoo.com/nphotos/slideshow/ss/events/ca/100707_oilsands/im:/16092010/2/photo/national-deformed-white-fish-caught-lake-athabasca-near-fort-chipewyan.html

 

 

One whitefish has a golfball-sized tumour bulging from its side. Another is simply missing part of its spine, its tail growing from a stumpy rear end.

 

 

One has no snout. Another is coloured a lurid red instead of a healthy cream. Others are covered with lesions and still others are bent and crooked from deformed vertebrae.

 

 

All were taken from Lake Athabasca, downstream from the oilsands in northern Alberta, and were on display Thursday. All are reasons, say a group of scientists and aboriginals, for the federal government to conduct an independent study on what's happening to the Athabasca River and its watershed after decades of industry expansion.

 

 

"A lot of people are afraid to eat fish from the lake," said Robert Grandjambe of Fort Chipewyan, which is also downstream of the oilsands. "It's time we had a proper monitoring study done."

 

 

Prominent scientists, two area doctors, five past and present First Nations leaders, a local member of the legislature, the mayor of the Wood Buffalo municipality that includes Fort McMurray, and other area residents all support a letter requesting such a study that was sent to Prime Minister Stephen Harper on Thursday.

 

 

The fish aren't part of any formal scientific survey. But local anglers say the number of such deformed and disturbing catches is growing.

 

 

"I never even saw deformed fish in my younger days," said Grandjambe.

 

 

Also growing are the number of studies that link the oilsands industry and increasing levels of contaminants.

 

 

"I'm hoping that the prime minister will listen and some of the other politicians involved will say, 'This data is convincing enough,'" said University of Alberta biologist David Schindler, who has published a couple of such studies himself. "We've got to get closure on this and bring all of these suggestive studies together in a study that documents ... a possible link between fish health and human health."

 

 

Federal Enviroment Minister Jim Prentice told radio station CHQR on Thursday he is listening to calls for a monitoring program and said he has met with Schindler on the topic.

 

 

"I intend to get the bottom of it," he said. "(Schindler) showed me the research he has done. I intend to have some other people who have scientific expertise sit down with him and go through that, and then I'll determine what the next steps are."

 

 

Prentice said his department is testing out a new "fingerprinting" machine that can help determine if substances are naturally occurring or are from the oilsands.

 

 

"We'll be able to test in the water and determine where any substances came from. Not only whether they're in the water, but actually trace them back to their source."

 

 

Schindler said problems with fish started in the 1980s. "I began to hear complaints about bad taste, suspicious tumours and things like that."

 

 

A 1996 study on northern river basins called for a specific examination on contaminants and health.

 

 

"Nothing was ever done."

 

In 2007, Environment Canada completed work showing high levels of deformities in fish embryos exposed to oilsands. In 2008, Schindler himself did research that led to two published studies showing that levels of hydrocarbons — some carcinogenic — and toxic heavy metals, including mercury and lead, are both growing and linked to industry.

 

That same year, a study for the Canadian Council for Ministers of the Environment concluded that 12 per cent of Alberta's forest soils had probably reached the limit of how much acid they could hold, probably because of the oilsands.

 

Schindler said he is "very confident" that the fish presented Thursday, all caught by local fishers, demonstrate that the number of deformities is on the rise.

 

The Alberta government monitors the area's environment, largely through information provided by industry, but Schindler said the province's program lacks transparency and credibility. He points out that the industry's own figures in the federal pollutant registry show hundreds of kilograms of contaminants are released into the environment annually, yet don't show up in provincial reports.

 

"Any program that can't detect hundreds of kilograms of pollutants going into the atmosphere is an incompetent program."

 

Grandjambe agreed that it's time for the Alberta government to step aside and let Ottawa do the work.

 

"There's so much uncertainty and so much distrust of the government right now," he said.

 

"Fort Chipewyan is not healthy. A lifestyle is being stolen away."

[Rod Caster]

I lived in Fort Mac and spent lots of time in Fort Chip, I've even spoken with Robert Grandjambe on several occasions. A study is definitely needed to assess the health of the fish and wildlife in the area as there are too many people giving their own accounts on what they "think" is happening. In some sense these requests and urges to the feds are a retaliation on the FN's part and that they know exactly how to get attention, for what purpose well I'd rather not assume.

It is also true that Alberta Env. is not properly managing and monitoring the air and water discharges, mostly because they don't have the money and resources to do it properly. They have been very slow in the past to respond to air releases ( i work in air quality).

Keep in mind that the athabasca river literally LEAKS oil from it's banks for many miles. If you walk in the substrate of some tribs, your legs will be covered in oil blotches. This is all natural and has been happening for years. That oil naturally contains many contaminates and heavy metals that has been flowing into lake athabasca for centuries.

Most of these fish caught are from the nets the natives use to feed their dogs, so also keep in mind they are pulling in a lot of fish, these tumored fish are not a regular occurrence from recreational fishermen. I've caught plenty of fish in Lake Ath. and have never seen a deformity....but that means nothing either in the scheme of things.

I've caught many sick fish from other places but I'd regard it more as natural sicknesses similar to what we see in humans. Genetic mutations are more common than you may think.

Either way, a comprehensive study is needed to truly understand the effects of the oil sands on these waters. without that it's only everyone's best guess.

[Guest Johnny Bass]

I was going to post the exact article. These industrial plants are the culprit.

[misfish]

If you walk in the substrate of some tribs, your legs will be covered in oil blotches.

 

Thats just nasty.

 

Thanks for sharing your knowledge of the area and the situation Rod.

 

As for the growths,as you said,I myself,have seen different deformatation of fish on simcoe.To me IMO,it,s geans or water/temps at the hatch.

 

TY

Edited September 18, 2010 by BrianB