Duration of Toxicity Tests for Establishing "No Effect" Concentrations for Copper with Brook Trout (Salvelinus fontinalis)

1974 ◽  
Vol 31 (4) ◽  
pp. 449-452 ◽  
Author(s):  
James M. McKim ◽  
Duane A. Benoit

Exposure of brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) to sublethal concentrations of copper from yearlings through spawning to 3-mo juveniles was found sufficient to establish a "no effect" concentration. No adverse effects were found on survival, growth, or reproductive capacity of trout exposed in a second generation from egg through spawning to copper concentrations (about 9.4, 6.1, and 4.5 μg/liter) which had caused no adverse effects on their parents when exposed to similar concentrations from yearlings to spawning. Nor were any adverse effects found on survival or growth of their offspring when exposed to the same concentrations from hatching to age 90 days. Tissue residue analyses indicated no copper accumulation in gill, liver, kidney, or muscle of either first- or second-generation trout exposed to the various copper concentrations, and residues in unfertilized eggs from exposed females were similar to those in females not exposed to added copper.

1968 ◽  
Vol 25 (9) ◽  
pp. 1787-1796 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kenneth J. Macek

When sexually maturing yearling brook trout were fed for 156 days with DDT at rates that evidently caused no mortality, fish fed at the lower dosages produced more mature ova than untreated fish. Those fed at the highest dosage produced fewer mature ova than untreated fish. The size of the male fish at the end of the feeding period tended to increase according to dosage of DDT. In eggs and sac fry obtained from various mating combinations of gametes from the experimental groups, mortality was with one exception higher when at least one of the gametes came from treated fish than when they both came from untreated fish. A major portion of the mortality of sac fry in groups where the eggs came from treated fish occurred during the 15th week of development. This period coincided with the period of maximum, utilization of yolk fat reported to occur in other salmonid fry, and indicated that insecticide residues in the eggs were released at this time and resulted in the observed mortality. The residue concentrations in the fish at the end of the feeding period were similar to those reported for wild fish.


1976 ◽  
Vol 33 (8) ◽  
pp. 1731-1741 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. W. Holcombe ◽  
D. A. Benoit ◽  
E. N. Leonard ◽  
J. M. McKim

Exposure of three generations of brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) to mean total lead concentrations (0.9–474 μg/liter) showed that all second-generation trout exposed to 235 and 474 μg Pb/liter and 34% of those exposed to 119 μg Pb/liter developed severe spinal deformities (scoliosis). Scoliosis also appeared in 21% of the newly hatched third-generation alevins exposed to 119 μg Pb/liter, and weights of these fish 12 wk after hatch were significantly reduced. Gill, liver, and kidney tissues of first- and second-generation brook trout accumulated the greatest amount of lead. Only small amounts accumulated in the edible muscle. An equilibrium of lead residues was reached in liver and kidney tissue from second-generation fish after 70 wk of exposure, but not in gill tissue. Fish exposed to 119 μg Pb/liter and then placed in uncontaminated control water for 12 wk showed a 70, 78, and 74% loss in micrograms Pb per gram for gill, liver, and kidney tissue, respectively, and a 39, 56, and 35% loss, respectively, in the total micrograms of Pb in the whole tissue. Residue analysis of eggs, alevins, and juveniles showed that lead was accumulated during these life stages. The maximum acceptable toxicant concentration (MATC) for brook trout in water with a hardness of 44 mg/liter (as CaCO3) and a pH of 6.8–7.6 lies between 58 and 119 μg/liter for total lead and between 39 and 84 μg/liter for dissolved lead. The MATC was based on the development of scoliosis in second- and third-generation fish and the reduced growth of 12-wk-old third-generation trout. The 96-h LC50 for brook trout was 4100 μg/liter based on total lead and 3362 μg/liter based on dissolved lead; therefore, the application factor (MATC/96-h LC50) lies between 0.012 and 0.029 for both total and dissolved lead.


1994 ◽  
Vol 51 (7) ◽  
pp. 1620-1628 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charles J. Gagen ◽  
William E. Sharpe ◽  
Robert F. Carline

Episodes of low pH and high Al concentration were associated with net downstream movement and increased mortality of ratio-tagged brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis). We compared movements of 10–15 brook trout in two streams with severe acidic episodes with movements of fish in two streams with less severe acidic episodes (reference streams). Study populations moved downstream hundreds of metres in the streams with more severe acidic episodes (pH <5.0 and >200 μg Al/L). Median downstream movement in spring was 250 and 900 m after 20 d for fish in the more acidic streams; one third of the fish were found dead during this time. We found no net movement and no dead fish in the reference streams. Lower stream discharge in fall studies was associated with less severe acidic episodes, less net movement, and no mortality. Water samples collected at individual fish locations indicated that few fish avoided adverse effects of acidic episodes by remaining in microhabitats with higher pH and lower Al concentration.


1991 ◽  
Vol 48 (10) ◽  
pp. 1989-1995 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. L. Walker ◽  
C. M. Wood ◽  
H. L. Bergman

Adult brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis; 200–300 g) were preexposed for 10 wk to 75 μg Al3+∙L−1, pH = 5.2, in soft water (25 μequiv Ca2+∙L−1) and controls to the same conditions without Al3+. When challenged with a lethal dose of Al3+ (333 μg∙L−1) at the same pH (5.2) and Ca2+ (25 μequiv∙L−1), the control fish demonstrated a twofold increase in ventilation volume and ventilatory stroke volume within the first two hours, an increase in [Formula: see text], and a decrease in pHa and hemoglobin O2 saturation. These effects were not seen in the group chronically preexposed to sublethal Al, indicating that some acclimation had occurred. Although the prechallenge [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] were the same in the two groups, the arterial pH, plasma [HCO3−], and hemoglobin O2 saturation of the Al-preexposed fish were significantly below those of the control fish, suggesting that the acclimation was achieved at some cost. Possible mechanisms are discussed.


1976 ◽  
Vol 33 (12) ◽  
pp. 2726-2739 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. M. McKim ◽  
G. F. Olson ◽  
G. W. Holcombe ◽  
E. P. Hunt

During a 144-wk period three generations of brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) were continuously exposed to mean water concentrations of methylmercuric chloride (MMC) of 2.93, 0.93, 0.29, 0.09, 0.03, and <0.010 (control) μg Hg/liter. During the first 39 wk the highest concentration (2.93 μg Hg/liter) produced deformities and 88% mortality of first-generation adults. At an MMC concentration of 0.93 μg Hg/liter, second-generation trout developed deformities and all but one female died during the 108-wk exposure. No significant effects on survival, growth, or reproduction of second-generation trout were noted at any of the lower MMC concentrations. No toxic symptoms were observed in the third generation at the three lowest MMC concentrations. The maximum acceptable toxicant concentration (MATC) for brook trout exposed to MMC in this water with a hardness of 45 mg/liter (as CaCO3) and a pH of 7.5 fell between 0.93 and 0.29 μg Hg/liter. The mean 96-h LC50 for yearling (200 g) and 20-wk-old (12 g) juvenile brook trout exposed to MMC was 75.0 μg Hg/liter, and the application factor (MATC/96-h LC50) lies between 0.004 and 0.013. The accumulation rate of mercury by eight selected tissues of first-generation trout exposed to MMC was relatively rapid at all MMC concentrations tested. The 2-wk tissue Hg: water Hg concentration factors ranged from 1 × 103 to 12 × 103, depending on the tissue, whereas after 28–38 wk of exposure the maximum tissue Hg: water Hg concentration factors for both first- and second-generation trout ranged from 6.9 × 103 to 6.3 × 104. The blood, spleen, and kidney accumulated mercury most rapidly and contained the highest residues in both first- and second-generation trout followed by liver, gill, brain, gonad, and muscle in order of decreasing mercury residues. There was no significant elimination of mercury from the tissue of first- or second-generation fish, yet a "steady state" (micrograms mercury per gram = constant) was reached in all tissues after 20–28 wk of continuous water exposure. Monomethylmercury made up 90–95% of the total mercury present in muscle, the only tissue analyzed for this compound. Mean muscle residues in first-generation trout, dying after 16–28 wk of exposure to 2.93 μg Hg/liter and in second-generation trout, dying after 64–100 wk of exposure to 0.93 μg Hg/liter, were 23.5 and 9.5 μg Hg/g, respectively.


1989 ◽  
Vol 46 (1) ◽  
pp. 33-40 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lawrence R. Curtis ◽  
Wayne K. Seim ◽  
Lisbeth K. Siddens ◽  
Debra A. Meager ◽  
Richard A. Carchman ◽  
...  

Acidification of streams and rivers associated with rainstorm or snowmelt events is often episodic as are many environmental introductions of toxic substances. We examined the toxicity of continuous or intermittent exposures to sulfuric acid (H+) to brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) embryos, alevins, and fry. Acute toxicity tests were conducted with juvenile rainbow trout (Salmo gairdneri). These studies permitted evaluation of key components of intermittent exposures (toxicant concentration, exposure duration, and recovery period) on mortality, reduced growth, and perturbed electrolyte balance. Lethality of H+ markedly changed with developmental stage of brook trout. Resistance of the chorion to H+ penetration probably protected embryonic fish, while hatching and onset of active swimming exacerbated H+ toxicity. Response surface methods demonstrated that between pH 4 and 7, time–concentration relationships for H+ toxicity were greatly influenced by exposure duration and peak concentration but little by length of recovery period. Daily pulses at pH 4 with duration as short 4.5 h produced marked mortality after 90 d. This did not occur after 4–60 d of testing. Whole-body Na+, K+, and Ca2+ concentrations of brook trout were negatively correlated with mean H+ concentrations after 90 d of exposure. Cation depletion appeared to be a more sensitive index of chronic, sublethal H+ toxicity than reduced growth.


Parasitology ◽  
1982 ◽  
Vol 85 (3) ◽  
pp. 495-501 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. Brassard ◽  
M. E. Rau ◽  
M. A. Curtis

Guppies (Lebistes reticulatis) exposed to doses as low as 25 cercariae of Diplostomum spathaceum for 30 min were consistently and significantly more susceptible to predation by brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) than uninfected controls. The increase in susceptibility to predation was correlated with a marked decrease in the activity of infected fish.


2016 ◽  
Vol 73 (1) ◽  
pp. 94-104 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elsa Goerig ◽  
Theodore Castro-Santos ◽  
Normand Émile Bergeron

Culverts can restrict access to habitat for stream-dwelling fishes. We used passive integrated transponder telemetry to quantify passage performance of >1000 wild brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) attempting to pass 13 culverts in Quebec under a range of hydraulic and environmental conditions. Several variables influenced passage success, including complex interactions between physiology and behavior, hydraulics, and structural characteristics. The probability of successful passage was greater through corrugated metal culverts than through smooth ones, particularly among smaller fish. Trout were also more likely to pass at warmer temperatures, but this effect diminished above 15 °C. Passage was impeded at higher flows, through culverts with steep slopes, and those with deep downstream pools. This study provides insight on factors influencing brook trout capacity to pass culverts as well as a model to estimate passage success under various conditions, with an improved resolution and accuracy over existing approaches. It also presents methods that could be used to investigate passage success of other species, with implications for connectivity of the riverscape.


1972 ◽  
Vol 29 (11) ◽  
pp. 1615-1624 ◽  
Author(s):  
James E. Bryan ◽  
P. A. Larkin

Analyses of stomach contents showed that the kinds of prey eaten by brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis), cutthroat trout (Salmo clarki), and rainbow trout (Salmo gairdneri) were seldom distributed at random among the individuals. Repeated observation of food eaten by individuals in a stream and ponds showed that prey types were eaten in proportions which were characteristic for an individual.Specialization occurred on several different kinds of prey. Although the degree of specialization was higher during shorter intervals, the data suggested that some specialization persisted for half a year. There were no striking correlations between degree of specialization and other individual properties such as size, growth rate, weight of food, number of food items, previous specialization, or area of recapture.In addition to the observations on trout in relatively undisturbed habitats, a field experiment was conducted using laboratory-reared rainbow trout held in small ponds. The food of each trout in the experiment was sampled repeatedly. In analysis of variance, interaction among the individuals and kinds of prey eaten showed that food specialization occurred. Both the absolute and relative abundance of potential prey were constant during the experiment.


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