51-1 Metal Mining Effects on Aquatic Biota: North American and South American Examples and Perspectives

Robert M. Hughes , Amnis Opes Institute, Corvallis, OR
Nabor Moya , Unidad de Limnología y Recursos Acuáticos, Universidad Mayor de San Simón, Cochabamba, Bolivia
Miriam Castro , Laboratório de Ecologia de Peixes, Departamento de Biologia, Universidade Federal de Lavras, Lavras, Brazil
Isabelle Lavoie , Institut NATIONAL DE LA Recherche Scientifique--EAU Terre Environnement, University of Quebec, Montreal, QC, Central African Republic
Metals have been crucial components of cultures for millenia, but their acquisition and use have multiple undesirable side effects.  In this talk, we focus on how metal mining has affected fish, macroinvertebrate, or diatom assemblages through use of case studies of mines in Montana (USA), Minas Gerais (Brasil), the High Andes (Bolivia), and Quebec (Canada).  Observed effects include reduced multimetric index scores, shifts from sensitive to tolerant taxa, reduced taxa richness, and reduced salmonid catch per unit effort.  We conclude that existing mining laws are inadequate for protecting or rehabilitating aquatic ecosystems.