It is the main crude product flowing through Kinder Morgan's Trans Mountain pipeline from Alberta to B.C. Alderman said a bitumen spill is more difficult to control than an oil spill because bitumen sinks, while oil can be corralled with booms and skimmed from the surface. The salmon exposed to diluted bitumen were found to be less fit, with a 15 per cent reduction in swimming capacity and signs of cardiac fibrosis, she said. It is considered the largest marine oil spill in the industry's history. Trans Mountain in mindThe researchers plan to test how salmon perform in a simulated migration from fresh to salt water after being exposed to diluted bitumen, Alderman said.

Source: CBC News December 22, 2017 15:22 UTC