Exposure of fish to biologically treated bleached‐kraft effluent. 1. Biochemical, physiological and pathological assessment of rocky mountain whitefish (prosopium williamsoni) and longnose sucker (catostomus catostomus)

Abstract

A suite of biochemical, physiological, and pathological measures was used to assess possible effects of exposure to bleached‐kraft mill effluent (BKME) on wild longnose sucker (Catostomus catostomus) and mountain whitefish (Prosopium williamsoni) in the Wapiti/Smoky river system, as compared to similar populations in a reference river system without BKME inputs. Individual fish body burden data (i.e., metals, polychlorinated dioxins and furans, fatty and resin acids, chlorophenolics) were examined for correlations between chemical exposure and biological response. General incidence of gross pathology and histopathology showed no relationship with exposure to BKME, and no neoplastic or preneoplastic lesions were observed in either exposed or reference fish. The few significant differences observed in longnose sucker blood parameters were not correlated with exposure to BKME and appeared to reflect, at least in part, habitat gradients. Liver somatic indexes were higher for female BKME‐exposed longnose sucker, but were not significantly different in male sucker nor in mountain whitefish. Some differences in circulating sex steroid levels were observed in longnose sucker exposed to BKME (but not in mountain whitefish, the species with higher contaminant body burdens). Steroid profile differences may have been related to natural differences in duration of spawning periods in the two fish populations. Other measures of reproductive capacity (relative gonad size, fecundity, young‐of‐the‐year) showed no reductions in exposed fish. The detoxification enzyme cytochrome P4501A was induced in both species, with greater induction in whitefish than in longnose sucker. Whitefish P4501A induction correlated well with some BKME exposure measures, but not with liver or gonad weights, pathology, reproductive capacity, or population‐level parameters. Increased liver size and apparent differences in sex steroid profiles in longnose sucker did not translate to other health effects or population‐level effects. Thus, exposure to this biologically treated BKME produced one consistent biochemical marker of exposure (P4501A) in the two fish species that was not associated with any discernible adverse effects on individual fish health.

Biochemical and Genotoxic Responses of Adult Eel (Anguilla anguillaL.) to Resin Acids and Pulp Mill Effluent: Laboratory and Field Experiments

“…These data agree with the results of various field studies previously performed Rogers et al, 1989;Lin-dstro¨m-Seppa¨and Oikari, 1990;Oikari and Lindstro¨m-Seppa¨, 1990;Hodson et al, 1992;Kloepper-Sams et al, 1994). The EROD results corresponding to site 2 (100 m from the source) seem illogical, since a clear induction was obtained at farther sites (600 and 2000 m).…”

“…Among the variety of physiological and biochemical parameters studied in this context, the induction of mixed function oxygenases (MFOs) such as ethoxyresorufin-Odeethylase (EROD) is the most consistent biological response, observed in many fish species exposed to pulp mill effluents (Kiparissis et al, 1996), in either laboratory (Andersson et al, 1987;Mather-Mihaich and Di Giulio, 1991;Martel et al, 1994) or field Rogers et al, 1989;Oikari and Lindstro¨m-Seppa¨, 1990;Hodson et al, 1992;Kloepper-Sams et al, 1994) studies.…”

Effects of Wood-Related Sterols on the Reproduction, Egg Survival, and Offspring of Brown Trout (Salmo trutta lacustrisL.)

“…The activity of the mixed-function oxidase EROD is known to decrease in female fish at ovulation and during the period after spawning (Kloepper-Sams et al, 1994). The higher mean EROD activity of the high-dose females noted in the present experiment was combined with a large variation similar to that noted for plasma estradiol (Table 2).…”

“…This result indicates that females in the high-dose group exhibited much larger variations between individuals than did controls and females in the low-dose group. The higher mean estradiol levels in plasma of high-dose female trout may be interpreted as delayed maturation of a kind previously observed in the long-nose sucker under field conditions by Kloepper-Sams et al (1994). Vitellogenin was present at higher levels in several female fish with high plasma estradiol levels in the high-dose group and may be a sign of prolonged ovulation.…”

Use of paired fathead minnow (Pimephales promelas) reproductive test. Part 1: Assessing biological effects of final bleached kraft pulp mill effluent using a mobile bioassay trailer system

“…High reproductive activity in the 1% (v/v) treatment was associated with increased LSI in females and increased testosterone and ovipositor development in males. This response pattern (i.e., increased egg production and hormones) suggests that fish were predominantly investing energy into reproduction in this treatment over the 21 d. Increased LSI has been documented in fish exposed to PMEs [1,9,13,23,24]. These increases have been attributed to enhanced activity of xenobiotic biotransformation enzymes and/or nutrient enrichment effects (e.g., increased hepatic fat storage).…”