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Selenium Bioaccumulation in Stocked Fish as an Indicator of Fishery Potential in Pit Lakes on Reclaimed Coal Mines in Alberta, Canada

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Abstract

Pit lakes are a common reclamation strategy for open pit mines; however, there is a concern about their water quality and suitability as fish habitat because they are often contaminated by metals or metalloids. This study assessed the exposure of fish and invertebrates to selenium (Se) and other metals and metalloids in pit lakes formed by open pit coal mining in Tertiary (thermal coal) and in Cretaceous (metallurgical coal) bedrock. Juvenile hatchery rainbow trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss, and brook trout, Salvelinus fontinalis, were stocked into two thermal coal pit lakes (water Se < 2 μg/L, low water Se) and two metallurgical coal pit lakes (water Se > 15 μg/L, high water Se). Se accumulation in stocked fish and concentrations in invertebrates were characterized over a period of 2 years. In the metallurgical pits, invertebrates had higher Se concentrations and fish accumulated Se to higher levels (exceeding USEPA tissue Se guidelines) than biota in the thermal pits. Rainbow and brook trout accumulated similar concentrations of Se in their muscle and exhibited a similar relationship between whole-body and muscle Se concentrations. These results may be used by resource managers to assess compliance with whole-body tissue Se guidelines and to determine if pit lakes in coal mining areas pose a significant Se risk to wildlife or human health. The high Se exposure in metallurgical coal pits indicates that under the current mining and reclamation strategy, these lakes are not suitable for management as recreational “put and take” fisheries.

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Acknowledgments

This project was funded by the NSERC’s Metals in the Human Environment (MITHE)—Strategic Network, Alberta Conservation Association Grant in Biodiversity, and a PhD. Scholarship to L. Miller from Alberta Ingenuity, now part of Alberta Innovates—Technology Futures. We thank David Janz, Douglas Chambers and an anonymous reviewer for their critical review—their comments were much appreciated. We acknowledge the logistical support of R. Hawryluk and M. Blackburn (Alberta Sustainable Resource Development), M. Symbaluk (Teck Coal Ltd.), D. Brand (Sherritt International), and M. Hill (Coal Valley Resources Inc.). Fish were gifts from the Sam Livingston Provincial Hatchery and the Allison Creek Brood Trout Station. We also acknowledge F. Wang, X. Hu, and D. Armstrong (University of Manitoba) for Se water analyses and S. Mittermuller (Freshwater Institute, Department of Fisheries and Oceans) for tissue Se analyses. R. Flitton, C. Friesen, W. Warnock, H. Bird, R. MacDonald, and L. Carroll also assisted with the project.

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Correspondence to A. Hontela.

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Miller, L.L., Rasmussen, J.B., Palace, V.P. et al. Selenium Bioaccumulation in Stocked Fish as an Indicator of Fishery Potential in Pit Lakes on Reclaimed Coal Mines in Alberta, Canada. Environmental Management 52, 72–84 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00267-013-0038-4

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