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Parasitological Analysis and Gill Histopathology of Pearl Dace (Semotilus Margarita) and Brook Stickleback (Culaea Inconstans) Collected from the Athabasca Oil Sands Area (Canada)

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Abstract

Pearl dace (Semotilus margarita) and brook stickleback (Culaea inconstans) were collected from tributaries of the Athabasca River (Alberta, Canada), upstream (reference site) and downstream of oil sands deposits where fish were expected to be exposed to naturally occurring oil sands constituents. The objective was to determine if fish collected from these sites exhibited differences in the prevalence or intensity of infection by parasites or in gill histology. Dace did not display significant differences in these parameters. Alternately, upstream stickleback were predominantly infected by complex life history parasites, while downstream fish were primarily infected by parasites with simpler life histories. Moreover, downstream stickleback exhibited significantly more clubbing and aneurysms in secondary gill lamellae relative to upstream fish. This suggested a difference in habitat quality between upstream and downstream sites. However, based on basic body condition parameters of the fish, it would appear that any impacts upon the health of the fish due to the presence of naturally occurring oil sands associated chemical constituents would have been minor.

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Acknowledgements

The authors gratefully acknowledge technical support by Vijay Tumber and Amber Matthews. Funding provided through PERD, Natural Resources Canada to JLP.

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Author notes

  1. M. Pietrock

    Present address: Institut für Binnenfischerei Potsdam-Sacrow, Potsdam, Germany

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Toxicology Centre, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, S7N 5B3, Canada

    J. C. Raine, M. Pietrock, K. Willner & K. Chung

  2. Department of Veterinary Biomedical Sciences, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, Canada

    M. Pietrock

  3. National Hydrology Research Centre, Saskatoon, SK, S7N 3H5, Canada

    D. Turcotte

  4. Environment and Climate Change Canada, 867 Lakeshore Road, Burlington, ON, L7S 1A1, Canada

    J. L. Parrott

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  1. J. C. Raine
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Correspondence to J. C. Raine.

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Raine, J.C., Pietrock, M., Willner, K. et al. Parasitological Analysis and Gill Histopathology of Pearl Dace (Semotilus Margarita) and Brook Stickleback (Culaea Inconstans) Collected from the Athabasca Oil Sands Area (Canada). Bull Environ Contam Toxicol 98, 733–739 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00128-017-2078-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00128-017-2078-6

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