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。预计到2030年，这一产量将增加五倍，届时油砂将生产北美20%的石油消费。传统的地面油砂开采和开采会产生大量的尾矿和加工受影响的水，根据该行业的零排放政策，必须安全地将这些尾矿和水合并到一个开垦的景观中。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，并开发生物工具来支持对填海生态系统的环境监测。再生系统中的水一般会受到化学物质的影响，这些化学物质从用于再生的暴露的贫油砂材料中淋出。生物群也可能暴露在最终景观上建造的末端坑湖中。尾矿坑湖泊是一种复垦方案，其中尾矿将形成油砂租约上建造的湖泊的底部。在实验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增加。这项研究的中心目标是开发本地鱼类物种的监测工具，以便预测鱼类免疫系统的变化，这些变化最终可能导致疾病易感性增加。这项研究将跟踪实验池塘中随时间推移的病程，以了解感染的季节性，并确定是否发生了康复或适应。此外，还将同时使用彩虹鲑鱼和鲈鱼进行平行的实验室研究，以检验鲑鱼的反应将在多大程度上预测鲈鱼的反应，并随后确定过程水对免疫功能障碍的影响的机制和原因。这项研究将为油砂复垦的管理决策和监测选择提供参考。

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.