Investigation of the potential of oil sands process-affected waters to impact fish population through immune suppression

阿尔伯塔省北部的阿萨巴斯卡油砂供应了加拿大约25%的石油需求。到2030年，这一产量预计将增加五倍，届时油砂产量将占北美石油消费量的20%。传统的地面油砂开采和提取会产生大量的尾矿和受工艺影响的水，根据行业的零排放政策，这些水必须安全地纳入再生景观中。由于这一景观的很大一部分可能是水生栖息地，该行业已经支持了一项正在进行的研究计划，以调查对生物群的潜在影响，并开发生物工具，以支持对再生生态系统的环境监测。回收系统中的水通常会受到回收中使用的暴露的贫油砂材料浸出的化学物质的影响。生物群也可能暴露在最终景观上建造的尾坑湖中。尾坑湖是一种填海方案，其中尾矿将形成油砂租约上建造湖泊的底部。在由水覆盖的油砂尾矿组成的实验湖泊或贫油砂流域的湖泊中进行的研究表明，鱼类对机会性疾病生物体的易感性可能会增加。本研究的中心目标是开发本地鱼类的监测工具，以预测鱼类免疫系统的变化，这些变化可能最终导致疾病易感性的增加。该研究将在实验池塘中跟踪疾病随时间的变化过程，以了解感染的季节性，并确定是否会发生恢复或适应。还将对虹鳟鱼和鲈鱼进行平行的实验室研究，以检验鳟鱼的反应能在多大程度上预测鲈鱼的反应，并随后确定加工用水对免疫功能障碍影响的机制和原因。这项研究将为油砂回收的管理决策和监测方案提供信息。

The Athabasca Oil Sands of Northern Alberta supplies about 25% of Canada's petroleum needs. This output is expected to quintuple by 2030 at which time the oil sands will be producing 20% of the North American oil consumption. Conventional surface oil sands mining and extraction produces large volumes of tailings and process affected water that, under the zero-discharge policy of the industry, must be safely incorporated into a reclaimed landscape. As a significant proportion of this landscape may be aquatic habitat, the industry has supported an ongoing research program to investigate potential impacts on biota and to develop biological tools to support environmental monitoring of reclaimed ecosystems. Waters in reclaimed systems may in general be influenced by chemicals leaching off of exposed lean oil sand material used in reclamation. Biota may also be exposed in end-pit lakes constructed on the final landscape. End-pit lakes are a reclamation option wherein tailings will form the bottom of constructed lakes on the oil sands leases. Studies conducted in experimental lakes consisting of water-capped oil sands tailings, or lakes in lean oil sands watersheds have shown the potential for increased susceptibility of fishes to opportunistic disease organisms. The central objective of this research is to develop monitoring tools for native fish species in order to predict alterations in the immune system of fishes that may eventually lead to increased disease susceptibility. The study will follow the course of disease over time in the experimental ponds in order to learn the seasonality of the infections and determine whether recovery or adaptation occurs. Parallel laboratory studies using both rainbow trout and perch will also be conducted in order to examine how well trout responses will predict perch responses and subsequently determine the mechanism and causes of process waters-influence on immune dysfunction. This research will inform management decisions and monitoring options in oil sands reclamation.