ALL ABSTRACTS BY AUTHOR ABSTRACTS FOR THIS SESSION
Arctic
Science 2000 - Crossing Borders: Science and Community
Whitehorse, Yukon, Canada, Sept 21-24 2000
American Association for the Advancement of Science & Yukon Science Institute
Acute Exposures of Salmonid Embryos to Total Dissolved Solids
B.J. Failor (Juneau Center School of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences, University of Alaska Fairbanks,11120 Glacier Highway, Juneau, Alaska 99801 USA)
M.S. Stekoll (Juneau Center School of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences, University of Alaska Fairbanks,11120 Glacier Highway, Juneau, Alaska 99801 USA)
I.A. Wang (Juneau Center School of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences, University of Alaska Fairbanks,11120 Glacier Highway, Juneau, Alaska 99801 USA)
W.W. Smoker (Juneau Center School of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences, University of Alaska Fairbanks,11120 Glacier Highway, Juneau, Alaska 99801 USA)
The objective of this research is to detect effects of embryonic exposure to total dissolved solids (TDS) on the growth and survival of Pacific salmon. Not only are embryonic salmon found throughout freshwater ecosystems of Alaska, they are also physiologically sensitive to pollutants, and have been shown to be adversely affected in later life by exposure as embryos to sublethal concentrations of pollutants. Coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) embryos were exposed to various concentrations of TDS up to 2,500 mg/L. Ion content of exposure solutions attempted to simulate that of wastewater flowing from Alaskan gold mining operations. Assays were performed at benchmark stages of embryonic development to determine possible effects at these critical life stages. Embryos were exposed for 96 hours in 1L aerated containers maintained at ambient temperatures. Water quality was monitored throughout the exposure period. Following exposure, embryos were placed in flow-through incubators and monitored for survival, physical deformities and time to hatch. There was no difference in time to 50% hatch in any of the exposures. Embryos exposed at fertilization showed a significant trend of increasing cumulative mortality with increasing concentration, however during the later assays at the epiboly and eyed stages, there was a small but significant protective effect with increasing concentration. Embryos exposed to sodium chloride solutions of the same osmolarity as the 2,500 mg/L solution showed no detectable effects.