ENTERPRISE
The results of a study on fish in rivers north of the Alberta oil sands have been delayed.
University of Saskatchewan professor Dr. Paul Jones, left, and Andrew Edjericon of Fort Resolution look over a fish on May 29. - NNSL file photo
|
Several reports had been expected by the end of 2012 based on information gathered, including in the NWT, since the summer of 2011.
However, Dr. Paul Jones, an associate professor at the University of Saskatchewan's School of Environment and Sustainability, said the findings are now expected by the end of the first quarter of this year or a little bit later.
That's because researchers have been slowed down by problems with equipment – mass spectrometers which analyze organic and metal contaminants.
"We just haven't been able to get the analysis finished," Jones said.
The professor noted about $10,000 has been spent to get the machines up and running, but it's going to take some time to catch up on the backlog of samples.
The work is being done at the University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon.
In November, Jones presented some early findings in Fort Smith and Fort Resolution at workshops by the Slave River and Delta Partnership.
"It doesn't have all of the sampling in it," he said. "It doesn't have the sampling for the spring that we did (last) year because those are the ones that are holding us up."
However, based on the analysis so far, Jones said the study has "not really" found anything significant in the way of contamination.
"At this stage, I don't think there is anything to worry about," he said. "We need to finish our samples and look at this thing as a whole, because we did see differences between the seasons and the metal concentrations. So it's really important that we then get all of the seasons covered so that we can get an overall impression of what's going on."
The study looks at the Athabasca and Slave rivers.
Jones said fish in the rivers seem to be exposed to things coming out of the oil sands operations, but that is a very preliminary finding.
Beginning in the summer of 2011, the researchers studied fish during all four seasons in five communities on the Athabasca and Slave rivers. Along with Fort Resolution and Fort Smith, they visited the Alberta communities of Fort Chipewyan, Fort McKay and Fort McMurray.
The study is looking at five species of fish – pike, walleye, whitefish, goldeye and burbot.
Patrick Simon, the environmental manager with Deninu Ku'e First Nation in Fort Resolution, said members of the community are eagerly looking forward to the findings of the study, but don't expect any smoking gun.
"We did suspect that there would be some small results that show that there are certain contaminants coming down," he said, adding it is not expected the study will determine where they are coming from, whether it is the oil sands, pulp mills, the Bennett Dam or even if it could be naturally occurring.
Simon said the way Alberta and Canada seem to be going, contamination is not going to be less prevalent in the future.
"It's only going to get more and eventually the natural stuff will fall away and the man-made stuff will take over because that's just the way things are," he said.
The river system is not pristine anymore, he added. "There is stuff there. We just don't know where it's coming from and what that means. But given what we see is happening south of us, it could only get worse."
Still, Simon said the fish in the river right now are healthy and safe. "The traditional food is still the healthiest food out there."
