Optimum temperatures for growth and temperature pret•rence were estimated and compared for young striped bass Morone saxatilis, white perch Morone am•icana, white catfish lctalurus catus, and spottail shiner Notropis hudsonius to determine how closely behavioral thermoregulation corresponded to optimal growth temperatures. Difibrences between the final prefbrenda and the optimum growth temperatures were less than 2 C. The percentage of prefkrred temperatures that were within the temperature range corresponding to 75-100% of maximum growth was 76-100%. Only a small percentage (0-17%) of prefbrred temperatures were greater than the upper li•nit of the range supporting 75% or more of maximran growth, indicating that fish were avoiding temperatures that were suboptimal for prolonged exposures. Numerous studies on the eIfbcts of temper-ature on fish behavior and physiology have been conducted since the mid-1960s, mostly in con-.junction with the assessment of environmental effects of thermal effluents. Examination of this extensive literature has led some researchers to conclude that optimum temperatures for various physiological t•nctions, particularly growth, coincide generally with final thermal preferenda. Brett (1971) demonstrated such a relationship for juvenile sockeye salmon Oncorhynchus nerka, and Kellogg (1982) found that the final preferendum of young alewives A losa pseudoharengus coincided with the temperature at which net biomass gain was maximum. Other evidence in support of this thesis results from comparisons between fiual preferenda and thermal optima determined in separate studies and with difibrent stocks of fish and sometimes different ages of fish (Beitinger and Fitzpatrick 1979; Jobling 1981; McCauley and Casselman 1981). This apparent relationship between behavioral thermoregulation and thermal optima prompted McCauley and Casselman (1981) to propose that fish culturists could use age-specific temperature preference information as a i Present address: North Carolina State University,

Increasing use of laboratory and field temperature preference and avoidance data in power plant siting and environmental impact assessment studies has created a need for evaluation and standardization of methodologies. Relevant considerations and applications are discussed. Key words: temperature, preference, avoidance, power plant siting, environmental impact assessment

This article presents a multidisciplinary approach to assess the hazards of ocean sewage sludge dumping. It combines physical and chemical sludge characteristics, estimated safe chronic levels and bioaccumulation potential with estimated environmental exposure (concentration and time) information. The hazard assessment was used to evaluate sewage sludges from 12 water pollution control plants operated by the New York City Department of Environmental Protection. Using a mathematical dispersion model, the worst‐case minimum dilution after 4 h was predicted to be 11,500:1. Of the three marine species tested, mysid shrimp were found to be the most sensitive. Using an application factor of 0.05, estimated chronic safe levels were estimated, the values do not exceed the limiting permissible concentrations, after allowing for initial dilution. Also, the concentrations of the chemicals in the liquid sewage sludge phase were below ambient water quality criteria. The results suggest that the ocean disposal of sewage sludge does not appear to present the environmental hazard originally perceived.

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