W4 PM Sediment Quality Assessment
Wednesday, 16 November 2005: 1:50 PM - 5:30 PM in Ballroom 4

(PAI-1117-743870) Comparative Toxicity of Creosote in Pacific Herring, Topsmelt and Sea Urchin Bioassays.

Paisano, L¹, Dinnel, P¹, ¹ Shannon Point Marine Center, Western Washington University, Anacortes, WA, USA

ABSTRACT- Forage fish are an important link in trophic food chains of aquatic ecosystems. Pacific herring, Clupea pallasi, an important forage fish in Puget Sound and along the West Coast of North America, has suffered major population declines in several locations, possibly as the result of pollutant stresses. Personnel at Shannon Point Marine Center have developed herring embryo and larval bioassay protocols for possible use as WET tests. However, little is yet known about the relative sensitivity of herring early life stages compared to other currently approved EPA marine tests. The goal of this research was to compare the sensitivity of herring embryo and larval bioassays to two EPA approved test protocols: the topsmelt (Antherinops affinis) juvenile survival and growth test and the green sea urchin (Strongylocentrotus droebachiensis) embryo development test, using creosote solutions as a reference toxicant. Creosote-treated wood (containing a mixture of several hundred chemicals) is commonly found in marine waters of Puget Sound, yet little is known about the effects that creosote compounds have on aquatic organisms, especially their larval stages. We performed five different bioassays using varying concentrations of a creosote leachate solution (treated as an effluent) and hypothesized that herring embryos and larvae are as sensitive to creosote and its related compounds as sea urchin embryos and juvenile topsmelt. Washington State agencies will use our results to help determine whether Pacific herring embryo and larval test protocols might be selected for future routine effluent testing in Washington State.

Key words: Herring, creosote, toxicity