Mutant fish found near oil sands

Scientists and aboriginal groups say that a study needs to be done on the oil sands industry’s effect on Lake Athabasca.

Golf ball-sized tumours, missing snouts, and incomplete spines were among the deformities in whitefish exhibited yesterday by a group of scientists and aboriginal leaders. The fish were caught in Lake Athabasca, which sits downstream from the massive Alberta oil sands industry. Researchers and local leaders sent a letter to Prime Minister Stephen Harper yesterday, calling on the federal government to conduct a comprehensive study on the environmental impact of the oil sands. The industry is currently regulated by the provincial government but with substantial input from the industry itself. Critics have said the process is ineffective and lacks transparency, and that Ottawa should take over industry regulation.