Large numbers of deformed fish found downstream of Alberta oil sands processing plants

[JohnyCanuck]

A Smoking Gun on Athabasca River: Deformed Fish

Armed with photos and ice-filled tubs of deformed fish from Lake Athabasca, a broad coalition of aboriginal communities, scientists, fishermen and local politicians asked the Canadian government yesterday to fund a comprehensive fish monitoring program on rivers and lakes downstream of the controversial oil/tar sands.

At the University of Alberta in a room packed with nearly 100 reporters and onlookers, David Schindler, one of the world's most celebrated water ecologists, explained that he had never seen so many deformed fish from one region in his long career as a freshwater scientist except on polluted rivers feeding the Great Lakes nearly 30 years ago.

In addition to photographs of deformed fish with large back tumors, reporters could also examine several ice-filled tubs displaying suckers with stomach abnormalities, burbot with snubbed faces and white fish with shortened tails and odd-looking lesions. All had been pulled from fishing nets on Lake Athabasca and the delta over the last two years

Given the regularity with which fisherman now catch deformed fish, Schindler suggested that a federally funded fish health study on the Athabasca River "should be a much higher priority than funding hockey rinks and new fighter jets." Aboriginal communities and leaders downstream of the oil sands have been calling for such studies for nearly a decade.

http://thetyee.ca/News/2010/09/17/AthabascaDeformedFish/?utm_source=mondayheadlines&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=200910

[leveymg]

1. Fish thrive on oil pollution. Very safe. Didn't you read the memo from BP about the Gulf?

Clean bill of health. 100 percent healthier environment than before petroleum extraction started.

You're just going to love those salmon lesions and tumors. Check out the best way to prepare and serve them to your family on the Food Channel.

[helpourveteran]

2. deformed fish

This reminds me of a Simpson's episode of a fish with three eyes. The nuclear power plant had some major leaks and the river became contaminated with chemicals. Anyways, I hope they are able to get this under control fast. We do not need this problem to spread any further!

[xchrom]

3. It had to be lack of oxygen due to some other reason.

At least that's how it works in the U.S.

Or so we are told.

[DirkGently]

4. Clearly these fish needs some Corexit. It makes pollution "disappear!"

[Nihil]

5. Thanks for posting this but ...

... you should have learned by now that if it isn't the Gulf of Mexico,
no-one on DU will give a shit about oil pollution ...

(If any additional evidence is required, I give you the previous replies
on this thread, the total lack of interest on Nigerian oil tragedies and
the effective absence of reporting of oil-spills anywhere else in the world.)

:shrug: