WA3 Aquatic Toxicology
Ballroom G, Level 4
8:00 AM - 12:00 PM, Wednesday, 12 November 2003
Chair: Norberg-King, Teresa ,
Co-chair: Spehar, Robert ,
(344) Long-term survival of early life stage fish exposed to PAH-contaminated sediment.
Bowerman, M1, Tarnowski, H1, Khan, C1, Hodson, P1, 1 Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada
ABSTRACT- Early life stages (ELS) of fish exposed to PAH-contaminated sediment show increased rates of mortality, CYP1A induction, malformations, reduced growth, and subcutaneous edema in the yolk and pericardial sacs. Malformations and reduced growth incurred during a fish′s early development may hinder their future competitive ability. Rainbow trout were exposed bothin situ and ex situ to Kingston Harbour sediment, an area contaminated by deposits of coal tar, from eyed egg to swim-up. Each fish was measured for length, scored for blue sac disease symptoms and then transferred to clean water in holding facilities for 6 months of growth and development. A sub-sample of the exposed larvae was preserved for immunohistochemical (IHC) localization of CYP 1A protein, to characterize PAH exposure. The results of these experiments provide an estimate of the delayed effects of exposure to PAH contaminated sediments during larval development and of the long-term consequences of short-term responses to PAH.
Key words: contaminated sediment, PAH, rainbow trout development