Reproductive development of yellow perch (Perca flavescens) exposed to oil sands-affected waters.

In similar experiments conducted in 1996 and 2009, yellow perch (Perca flavescens) were stocked into two experimental systems: a demonstration lake where oil sands fine tailings were capped with natural water and a lake in a watershed containing bitumen-bearing sodic clays. In both experiments, yellow perch were captured in May from a nearby reservoir and released into the experimental ponds. Perch were recaptured in the experimental systems, the source lake, and two reference lakes in late September and lethally sampled to examine reproductive parameters.