Examination of the health of white sucker in response to oil sands reclamation-affected waters

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The Athabasca oil sands deposit in Northern Alberta represents one of the largest sources of crude oil in the world and currently supplies one quarter of Canada's petroleum needs. The operation of surface mining and extraction of the oil from the sands produces large volumes of tailings and process-affected water which, under a zero-discharge policy, must be safely incorporated into a reclaimed landscape. Oil sands companies are interested in developing monitoring tools for aquatic reclamation to ensure the provision of habitat capable of supporting fish and wildlife. The white sucker (Catostomus commersoni) is likely to be among the first native fish species introduced to aquatic systems. Studies conducted over nearly three decades in experimental ponds consisting of water-capped oil sands tailings, or in natural systems where water has been influenced by either oil-sands tailings or unextracted hydrocarbons, have shown the potential for affected waters to increase susceptibility of fishes to disease, decrease reproductive growth, and cause mortality of eggs and early life stages. The central objective of this research is to examine the sensitivity of a keystone native fish species, the white sucker to oil sands process-affected waters and to examine mechanistic hypotheses associated with observed effects. This research will further seek to determine the toxicological mechanisms of any observed effects and identity causative chemical classes. With the first full-scale end-pit lake expected to be complete by 2012, this research will directly inform management decisions regarding introduction and monitoring of aquatic ecosystems created in reclaimed landscapes and will directly contribute to planning the most environmentally beneficial route for the development of a healthy lake ecosystems.