PM09 WET Testing
Exhibit Hall
8:00 AM - Monday, 10 November 2003
(PM158) Development and Validation of a Pacific Herring Embryo Bioassay Protocol.
Dinnel, P1, Haley, R1, Midduagh, D1, 1 Shannon Point Marine Center, Anacortes, WA, USA
ABSTRACT- Shannon Point Marine Center has been developing both embryo and larval Pacific herring (Clupea pallasi) bioassay protocols for possible use as Whole Effluent Toxicity (WET) tests in the State of Washington. The embryo bioassay has been under development for several years and is now undergoing intra-laboratory validation. The embryo test is conducted over a 16-day exposure period starting with newly fertilized eggs. Ovaries and testes can be harvested locally or shipped from locations up and down the Pacific Coast via an overnight express service. Test exposures to toxicants and control seawater take place in Petri dishes with the following exposure conditions: 16 ‰ seawater, 10 °C, light intensity of 10 to 50 lux, and a 16 hour light:8 hour dark photoperiod. Test and control solutions are changed at 2-day intervals through day 10. Possible test endpoints include: Percent normal hatch, heart rate at about day 8, embryo movement rate at about day 8, tome to 50% hatch, larval length at hatch, larval yolk sac size at hatch, and larval dry weight at hatch. Data for about a half dozen reference toxicants will be presented.
Key words: reference toxicants, wet testing, pacific herring, bioassay