Page 1
Page 2
Page 3
Page 4
Page 5
Page 6
Page 7
Page 8
Page 9
Page 10
Page 11
Page 12
Page 13
Page 14
Page 15
Page 16
3TuesdayMay202014Pleaseleaveamessageat872-5543fordetails.WESCLEANNORTHERNSALESLTD.TheFSASisdesperatelyseekingvolunteersforthesummermonths.MostofourvolunteersareheadingoutoftownforJulyandAugust.IfyoucanhelppleasecallDixieat872-3516.FemaleYoungAdultGreyandwhitemixLookingforanewhomeProvincewarnsFortChiptolimitwildeggconsumptionAthabascacanserveasearlywarningforSlaveContinuedfrompage1.Theresdramaticallyhigherconcentrationshigherexpo-suresaroundFortMcMurrayFortMcKayandFortChipthanhereintheSlaveRiverlocationsJonessaid.HighmolecularweightPAHsaremoreprevalentintheAthabascaandrelatedeithertooilsandsextractionactivitiesortonaturalseepageevents.Myfeelingisprobablyoilsandsac-tivitiesbyfaroutweighnaturalseepagesowhatwereseeingisprobablyoilsandsextraction-relatedcontamination.Jonessaidtheresultssug-gestthataslongasthePeaceRiverremainsrelativelyunpol-luteddilutionbythecleanerwatershouldbeabletoreducetheimpactofPAHsfromtheAthabascacomingintheSlaveRiverfornow.Wedontknowwhatsgoingtohappenwiththecon-centrationsintheAthabascaorwithconcentrationsinthePeacehenoted.WecanusetheAthabascaasanearlywarningindicator...IfwestartseeingthingschangeinFortChipweknowitsnotgoingtobelongbeforetheystartheadingupintotheSlave.AbnormalitiesinfrequentWhiletherearesomecasesofabnormalitieslikelesionsanddeformitiesonshtheincidentrateislowandhasdecreasedaccordingtoJonesresearch.Thoughsometimesbe-lievedtobetumoursJonessaidthelesions-redsore-likebumpsfoundontheexteriorofthefish-arebeingcausedbyaviraldis-easecalledlymphocystiswhichcanspikeinapopu-lationjustasthecommoncoldcanspikeinapopu-lationofhumansonanan-nualbasis.Around15-16percentofthe835shcaughtbetweenFortMcMurrayandFortResolutionin2011and2012showedsignsoflesionsorotherdeformities.LastyearmorefishcaughtjustintheFortSmithandFortResolutionareasyielded111samplesofwhichonly1.8percentpresentedwithlesionsorotheranomalies.ThingsarelookingfairlygoodinthatportionofthestudyJonessaid.FishgettingfatterhealthierWhenitcomestothecon-ditionfactorofshhealth-roughlyhowfatorskinnytheyare-Jonessaidresultsarealsopositive.Howfathowhealthythesharedoesntseemtobevaryingthatmuchupanddowntheriversystemsothatsgoodnewshesaidnotingthattheresactuallybeenaslightincreaseintheconditionfactorforwalleyeandwhitesh.Thesharegettingfat-termaybethesharegettinghealthier.Aslightincreasecouldbegoodnews...andImsureinthiscaseitis.Jonessaidconditionfactorwillvaryfromyeartoyearwhichsupportstheneedforcontinuedmonitoring.Whatweneedtodooverextendedperiodsoftime-notjustthreeyearsbutveor10years-isdeterminewhatistheaverageconditionfactorforshinthisareaandthenwecanstartseeingifweremovingoutsideofthatcom-fortzone...andknowthatweneedtolookatthesituationandseewhatsgoingon.EnvironmentWildlifeByMEAGANWOHLBERGPeopleintheFortChipewyanareaarebeingadvisedtolimittheirconsumptionofgullandterneggsfromaroundMamawiLakeandLakeAthabascaduetorisingmercurylevelsiden-tiedbyastudylastOctober.ReleasedbyAlbertasChiefMedicalHealthOfcerDr.JamesTalbottothecommu-nityofFortChipewyanlastWednesdaytheadvisorywarnsresidentstolimittheireggcon-sumptiondependingonwhichlaketheyweretakenfromandtorefrainfromeatinganyeggsifalsoconsumingshregularlyfromeitherlakewheretherehavebeenexistingshadvi-soriesforanumberofyearsThecontaminationintheeggsisinthesameballparkasthecontaminationintheshsoitsimportantforpeopletorecognizethattheadvisoriesshouldntbecombinedandwehaveawarningaboutthatyoucaneatuptotheadvisoryforshoruptotheadvisoryforeggsbutyoushouldntdobothTalbottoldTheJournal.Hesaidpregnantwomenandsmallchildrenshouldexer-cisethemostcautionwheneat-ingatraditionaldietbecauseoftheimpactsmercurycanhaveonbraindevelopment.TheinformationwasgivenbyTalbottotheNuneeHealthAuthorityviaconferencecallandemergesfollowingare-portpublishedlastfallbyParksCanadascientistswithWoodBuffaloNationalParkandEnvironmentCanada.Thestudylookedatmer-curylevelsinternandgulleggscollectedfromEggIs-landandMamawiLakeinthePeace-AthabascaDeltanearFortChipewyanandcomparedthemtoonesiteinthesouthernpartoftheprovince.TheresearchersfoundthattheeggsofCaliforniaandRing-billedgullsatMamawiLakeexhibitedstatisticallysignicantincreasesinmer-curyconcentrationsin2012up139percentfromlevelsmeasuredin2009whentherstsamplingwasdone.CaspianandCommonterneggsatEggIslandalsoshowedanincreasethoughsignicantlysmaller.BycomparisonmercurylevelscollectedattheLangdonReservoirinsouthernAlbertadeclinedby57percentbe-tween2008and2012.Whilemercuryconcentra-tionsinthegullandCommonterneggswerefoundtobegenerallybelowtoxicthresh-oldslevelsinthemajorityofCaspianterneggsexceededthelowertoxicitythresholdforeffectsinbirds.ConsumptionlimitsalreadyineffectCommunitymembersinFortChipewyanhadaskedforahumanhealthinterpretationofthedatatobebroughtintothediscussionlastfallbutthatinformationwasnotavailableuntillastweek.AccordingtoBruceMa-cleanaleadonthecommunity-basedbiomonitoringeffortsbeingtakenbytheAthabascaChipewyanandMikisewCreeFirstNationsinFortChiptheadvisoryisuniqueinthatitsthersthesseenforeggsbutultimatelymakeslittlediffer-encetothecommunitywhichisalreadywarnednottoover-consumesh.Thetake-homefromthisisifyounoticeonthebottomtheresalittlenotethatsaysOhbythewayifyoueatshletscalloffeggsaltogether.Ofcoursetheresashad-visoryonLakeAthabasca.Theyknowthat.WhileMacleansaidthecommunityappreciatestheinformationprovidedbyTalbottheissueofmercury-ladeneggssimplyaddstoagrowinglistofwildfoodcon-sumptionlimitationsexperi-encedbyresidentswhooncelivedentirelyofftheland.Apartfromtheshadvi-soryfortheareaaseparateindependentwildfoodmoni-toringstudybytheUniversityofManitobaalsorecommendslimitingconsumptionoforganmeatespeciallyofwaterfowlduetoheavymetals.ThisisjustanotherblowtotreatyrightsandpeoplesabilitytopracticethosesafelyMacleansaid.MercuryfromunknownlocalsourceTheeggstudynotedthattheincreasesinmercurylev-elswerenotrelatedtodietornearbyforestresandwereinsteadfromlocalsourcespotentiallylinkedtoupstreamoilsandsdevelopmentthoughmoreresearchandmonitor-ingisrequiredtoconclusivelyidentifythecause.MacleansaiditstimetheAlbertagovernmentlookedattheexistingdatatondoutwhatmightbethesourceoftheheavymetalcontamination.ObviouslynowthatitsintheofceoftheChiefMedicalOfcerandtheyrelookingatthisasahumanhealthissuesomeoneneedstositdownandtakeagoodlonglookatthatJointOilsandsMonitor-ingProgramJOSMandwhattheresultsareshowing-fromanAboriginalrightsperspec-tivetoohesaid.Thatisclearlyinfringingonpeoplesabilitytopracticetheirtraditionalrightsiftheycangooutandcatchitbutcanteatit.Talbotsaidfurtherinves-tigationsintothesourceofthemercuryisbeingdoneaspartofJOSM.Hesaidtheadvisorywillstayinplaceuntilmoreisknownaboutthecauseoftherisingmercurylevelsandthereisevidencethattheriskisnolongerpresent.Mercuryisproducedanytimetheenvironmentisdis-turbedinamajorwayeithernaturallyorman-made.Flood-ingandforestresreleasemer-curyfromburnedordownedtreesandplantsandalsoindus-trialdevelopmentcanreleaseitsoidentifyingasourcepar-ticularlyinananimalthatcanylikeabirdcanbeadifcultprocesshesaid.Werelookingatwork-ingwiththenewmonitoringagencytolookatwhatkindsofthingscouldbemonitoredtogivepeopleanideaofwhichanimalsandsharesafetoeatandwhatpartsofthemaresafeTalbotsaid.CHILDRENAGED1-4OneeggeverytwoweeksfromAthabascaORtwoeggsperweekfromMamawiCHILDRENAGED5-11OneeggeverytwoweeksfromAthabascaORthreeeggsperweekfromMamawiYOUTHAGED12-17FoureggsperweekfromAthabascaORseveneggsperweekfromMamawiPREGNANTWOMENThreeeggsperweekfromAthabascaORveeggsperweekfromMamawiOTHERADULTSEighteggsperweekfromAthabascaOR12eggsperweekfromMamawiResidentsarewarnedthatnoeggsshouldbeconsumedifeatingshregularlyfromeitherlake.FoodconsumptionadvisoryforgullandterneggsPhotoMichelleKinseyBrunsCommonterneggsaroundFortChipewyanaretobeconsumedinlimitedamountsduetomercurycontaminationaccordingtoAlbertasChiefMedicalHealthOfceDr.JamesTalbot.EnvironmentWildFood