Fort McMurray Métis and supervision investigate health of ‘disappearing’ freshwater clams

Harvey Sykes remembers when he was a child and his father would toss freshwater clams fished from Fort McMurray’s dual rivers into a pot of fish chowder.

Today, he can frequency find any when he goes out on a water.

“Back in those days, there was an contentment of clams,” pronounced Sykes. “It seems now they are disintegrating during an shocking rate.”

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Sykes, a McMurray Métis board member and elder, tells stories about walking along a Clearwater or a Athabasca rivers and kicking clam shells sparse on a shore. They were everywhere then. Finding one these days is like anticipating buried treasure.

McMurray Métis house member and elder Harvey Sykes says he has lobbied supervision and scientists for a decade to investigate because clams are disappearing. (David Thurton/ CBC)

The McMurray Métis and Alberta Environment and Parks partnered 10 months ago to start a initial community-led investigate of freshwater clams. On Friday, a dual groups will reason an information session to refurbish members on their progress. 

Sykes pronounced he has been warning supervision and wildlife researchers for roughly a decade that a region’s clams are disappearing.

Where did a clams go?

Clams can be found via Alberta.

Alberta Environment and Parks scientist Debra Hopkins pronounced a class ordinarily called “fat muckets” are found in Fort McMurray.

Project participants were out on a H2O in Aug and Sep acid for clams and holding samples behind to a lab.

Volunteers and members from a McMurray Métis collecting clams. (McMurray Métis/ Submitted)

“It was tough to find clams,” pronounced Hopkins, who could hardly fill a bucket. “We spent 4 full days out on a rivers.”

The investigate is regulating normal believe to map areas where clams were once found in abundance. They take samples behind to a lab to analyse animals’ overall health. It will also consider a H2O and lees quality.

There’s no date for a study’s completion, nor are there any early formula to give Sykes comfort.

“My usually arrogance is that it has got to be something in a waters is because they are disappearing,” Sykes said. 

Follow David Thurton, CBC’s Fort McMurray correspondent, on Facebook, Twitter or hit him via email.

Article source: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/fort-mcmurray-metis-clams-1.4373299?cmp=rss