Canwest News Service; Calgary Herald
Published: Thursday, August 21, 2008
CALGARY (CNS) -- A northern Alberta Native band that displayed a deformed, two-jawed fish at a weekend water conference says the grotesque specimen has ramped up efforts to collect evidence to show Alberta's oilsands are poisoning both wildlife and people.
The band is therefore calling on the government to place a moratorium on oilsands development.
George Poitras, a spokesperson for the Mikisew Cree First Nation, said the band is deciding what to do with the large goldeye fish, which was found last week by children playing in the waters of Lake Athabasca, downstream from the oilsands plants.
"What happens to the wildlife and the fish is eventually what is going to happen to us," Poitras said, adding people have expressed "disbelief" after seeing the fish.
Poitras said he had heard reports of deformed fish from community members around Fort Chipewyan, 260 kilometres north of Fort McMurray, Alta., but "we will begin to collect them now much more vigilantly."
The fish was displayed at the Keepers of the Water Conference Sunday.
However, a spokesperson for the Alberta government's Department of Sustainable Resource Development said there's no evidence the deformity was caused by a contaminant. Dave Ealey said fish abnormalities can be due to disease or other environmental factors.
Residents believe leakage or spills from oilsands tailings ponds has polluted the Athabasca River and lake. http://www.canada.com/victoriatimescolonist/news/story.html?id=c04b41c6-5bba-4233-a808-df76a2569142
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