Don’t be surprised if you see more dead fish near Riel Pond this winter, says the city’s office of the environment.
Alberta Fish and Wildlife, Environment Canada and Fisheries and Oceans personnel finished their investigation of a fish kill on the Sturgeon River near Riel Pond this week.
Residents had spotted about a hundred dead northern pike floating in a patch of open ice by an outfall from Riel Pond on Jan. 14. About 50 more were spotted Tuesday.
Oxygen levels in the water were found to be “quite low,” says Heather Lovely, one of the investigating biologists, hovering around 1.6 to 2.4 parts per million. Most fish need about six parts per million to survive. “Especially the 1.6 measure, that gets lethal to pike.”
Initial reports suggested that low oxygen levels had driven the fish towards open ice created by the Riel Pond outfall, where they suffocated due to overcrowding.
Low oxygen can happen in shallow rivers heavy with organic material in winter, Lovely says — rotting algae sucks up oxygen and surface ice keeps air from moving in to replace it. Fish will be drawn to any open water during winter, and there’s not much that can be done about it.
There will probably be further fish kills this winter at the Riel Pond site, says Leah Jackson, St. Albert’s environmental manager. “Until it gets colder and that open area closes up, we’ll probably continue to see other fish appearing.”
Staff members are watching the site for live fish in case they can be salvaged.
The city could improve oxygen levels in the river by protecting riparian zones along its banks, Lovely says, as those would stop algae-producing chemicals from getting into the water.
Anyone who sees fish in distress on the Sturgeon should call the Report A Poacher Hotline at 1-800-642-3800.
Experts need to acknowledge the “dread” factor of nuclear power if they want people to make informed decisions about it, says a new report.
The University of Alberta’s Environmental Research and Studies Centre published a report this week on the nuclear debate in Alberta. Written by a team of economists and sociologists, the report aims to broaden the scope of debate on nuclear power.
Bruce Power is considering the construction of a 4,000-megawatt nuclear plant in northern Alberta. The province recently stated that it would consider such plants on a case-by-case basis.
“The biggest challenges associated with nuclear power are social, not technical,” writes lead author Debra Davidson. Nuclear might be a good idea from a climate change perspective, the report finds, as it could displace emissions-heavy coal and could be competitive with coal with a carbon tax of about $33 a tonne.
But while experts focus on these narrow statistical measures, the general public looks at the bigger picture. While experts focus on the number of deaths from nuclear power, the public wants to know where those deaths would occur. Others might oppose it on ethical grounds, believing it puts too much of a burden on future generations. These beliefs are deeply held and are unlikely to be swayed by education campaigns.
Experts need to acknowledge these concerns and the fact that nuclear power carries risks, the report concludes, even if those risks might be small. Denying them will erode trust and acceptance of nuclear power.
A public forum on nuclear power will be held at the Myer Horowitz Theatre on Jan. 31 at 1 p.m. Call 780-492-4598 for details.
The report is available at www.ualberta.ca/ersc.
