Development and Environment
Uranium and gold mining along the northern shore resulted in the birth of Uranium City, Saskatchewan, which was home to the mine workers and their families. While the last mine closed in the 1980s, the effects of mining operations have heavily contaminated the northern shores.
The Lake Athabasca Sand Dunes, the largest active sand dunes in the world north of 58°, are adjacent to the southern shore. After a long struggle with government bureaucracy and opposition from mining companies, the dunes were designated a "Provincial Wilderness Park" in 1992.
Lake Athabasca contains 23 species of fish, with a world record lake trout of 46.3 kg (102 lb) having been caught from its depths in 1961 by means of a gillnet. Other fish species include walleye, yellow perch, northern pike, lake trout, goldeye, lake whitefish, cisco, arctic grayling, burbot, white sucker and longnose sucker.
Read more about this topic: Lake Athabasca
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