The Impact of Sediment-Associated Contaminants from the Niagara River Mouth on Various Size Assemblages of Phytoplankton

The impact of elutriated sediment-associated contaminants from the Niagara River mouth and from a midlake station in Lake Ontario on various size assemblages of natural phytoplankton was determined. The C¹⁴ fractionation bioassays indicated that the addition of Chelex-treated elutriate (without dissolved metals) from the Niagara River mouth enhanced the C¹⁴ uptake when compared to the standard elutriate. Conversely, at the midlake station, the addition of standard elutriate (with dissolved metals) induced higher C¹⁴ uptake than the Chelex-treated elutriate. It is apparent that the synergistic effects of nutrients/metals and metals/organic compounds determine the bioavailability and toxicity of contaminants to natural phytoplankton. Our technique is sensitive and useful in detecting the differential response of algal size fractions to contaminants.     

Organochlorine Contaminants of Wintering Ducks Foraging on Detroit River Sediments

Organochlorine analysis was performed on carcasses of 13 diving ducks from a 1981 wintering population that foraged on contaminated sediments in the lower Detroit River. Mean total PCB concentrations were 10 mg/kg for seven lesser scaups (Aythya affinis), 11 mg/kg for three greater scaups (A. marila), and 7.6 mg/kg for three goldeneyes (Bucephala clangula). Highest mean levels of other residues were measured for hexachlorobenzene (1.7 mg/kg) in goldeneyes, and transnonachlor (0.33 mg/kg) and 4,4’-DDE (1.3 mg/kg) in greater scaup. Quantitative analysis of 72 PCB congeners also was applied to water, seston, sediment, benthie oligochaetes, and carp from the same site. Principal congeners in most of the samples included some of the more toxic and persistent PCBs. Results of a multivariate analysis indicated that ratios of more conservative to less conservative PCBs did not vary significantly among ducks (α = .05), but differed from those in carp, oligochaetes, and sediment. For the February through March period of fat mobilization, concentrations of total PCB in lipid were inversely correlated with percent lipid (r = 0.76) in ducks. The percentage of conservative PCBs increased slightly. The distribution and partitioning of organochlorines, including toxic PCB congeners, varied considerably within this water column-sediment-fauna ecosystem. Estimates of toxic exposure based on total PCB values may be unreliable.     

Cancer in Wild Freshwater Fish Populations with Emphasis on the Great Lakes

Reports of tumors in wild freshwater fish populations have been increasing. The highly industrialized nature of the Great Lakes basin suggests that chemically-induced tumors could occur in Great Lakes fish. Several indices of tumors in these fish are reviewed, including: thyroid hyperplasia, gonadal neoplasm, papillomas, skin tumors, and tumors of the liver. The results of this study show that papillomas in white sucker, gonadal tumors in carp x goldfish hybrids, and hyperplasia in coho salmon are widespread in the Great Lakes. Tumor incidence is proposed as a sensitive indicator of the level of carcinogenic compounds in the environment.     

Chlorinated Contaminants in Surficial Sediments of Lakes Huron,St. Clair,and Erie: Implications Regarding Sources Along the St. Clair and Detroit Rivers

Surficial sediments from southern Lake Huron, Lake St. Clair, and Lake Erie have been analyzed for a broad spectrum of chlorinated organics including PCBs, chlorobenzenes, and several pesticides. The differences between sediment contaminant concentrations in Lake Huron and Lake St. Clair indicated sources of hexachlorobenzene, hexachlorobutadiene, octachlorostyrene, and several other chlorinated benzenes along the St. Clair River. Similar differences between sediment PCB concentrations in Lakes Huron/St. Clair and Lake Erie indicated major PCB sources along the Detroit River. Specific PCB congener analysis revealed that PCBs discharged to the Detroit River contained especially high concentrations of highly chlorinated hexa-, hepta-, and octachloro-biphenyls which are major constituents of the industrial mixture Aroclor 1260. The analysis of individual PCB congeners made it possible to trace PCBs of Detroit River origin to the central and eastern basins of Lake Erie, and to estimate the contribution of the Detroit River to the PCB burden in sediments of these basins.     

Size‐Mediated Effects of Water‐Flow Velocity on Riverine Fish Species

We applied species sensitivity distributions (SSDs), commonly used in chemical risk assessment, to quantify the impact of water‐flow velocity on the presence of fish species in a river. SSDs for water‐flow velocity were derived from observational field data (maximal velocity at which species occur, V_max) and laboratory measurements (critical swimming velocity, V_crit). By calculating the potentially affected fraction of the fish species of the river Rhine, effects of water‐flow velocity on different life stages and guilds were estimated. V_max values for adults were significantly higher than those for juveniles and larvae. At water‐flow velocity of 60 cm s⁻¹, half of the adults were affected, while half of the non‐adult life stages were affected at velocities of 25 to 29 cm s⁻¹. There was a positive correlation between body size and fish tolerance to water‐flow. As expected, rheophilic species tolerated higher water‐flow velocities than eurytopic and limnophilic species. Maximal velocities measured in littoral zones of the Rhine were, on average, 10 cm s⁻¹, corresponding to an affected fraction of 2%. An increase in water‐flow velocity up to 120 cm s⁻¹ as a result of passing vessels caused an increase in affected species to 75%. For a successful ecological river management, the SSD method can be used to quantify the trait‐mediated effects of water‐flow alterations on occurring species enabling to compare and rank the effects of chemical and physical stress. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Net Atmospheric Inputs of PCBs to the Ice Cover on Lake Huron

This report describes the first measurements of the net atmospheric deposition of PCBs to the ice cover of a body of water. The net deposition of PCBs includes the wet, dry, and vapor deposition, less any evaporation. The measurements were made on ice cores collected from the frozen surface of Lake Huron late in the ice seasons of 1978 and 1979. Intrusions of lake water into the accumulated deposition layer of ice and snow were not encountered in these studies. Such intrusions, however, have complicated other attempts to use this method. Possible reasons for not encountering them in this study are discussed. For Saginaw Bay, a net deposition rate of 2.0 gm/km²/mo of PCBs to the ice was found for the winters of 1977–1978 and 1978–1979. Upon ice break-up and thaw in the spring, all of the PCBs accumulated on the ice are likely to enter the bay. For inner Saginaw Bay, this would have been 8 kg in March 1978 and 6.5 kg in March 1979.     

Growth,Condition and Survival of Three Forage Fish Species Exposed to Two Different Experimental Hydropeaking Regimes in a Regulated River

Hydroelectric dam operation can alter discharge and temperature patterns, impacting fish populations downstream. Previous investigations into the effects of river regulation on fish have focused on a single species within a river, yet different results among studies suggest the potential for species‐specific impacts. Here, we compare the impacts of two different hydropeaking regimes relative to a naturally flowing river on three ecologically important members of the forage fish community: longnose dace (Rhinichthys cataractae), slimy sculpin (Cottus cognatus) and trout‐perch (Percopsis omiscomaycus). Annual growth, estimated from otolith back‐calculations, was higher for each of the species in the regulated river relative to the naturally flowing river but did not differ between hydropeaking regimes. Condition was assessed using weight–length relationships and differed between rivers for each species, and between hydropeaking regimes for longnose dace and slimy sculpin. Survival of longnose dace and slimy sculpin was lower in the regulated river relative to the naturally flowing river, but comparable between rivers for trout‐perch. Annual growth was significantly related to mean summer discharge in the regulated river and to mean summer water temperature in the naturally flowing river for each species, and significantly different slopes among species indicate species‐specific responses to discharge and temperature alterations. This study demonstrates different biological responses among fish species within rivers to regulation in general, as well as to specific hydropeaking regimes. Future studies should focus on multiple species and multiple indicators of fish health to more fully characterize the impacts of river regulation on downstream fish communities. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

泰晤土河口水温和水化学特性对鱼类的影响研究

根据1915～2005年的长系列数据，对泰晤士河口水温和水化学特性对鱼类的影响进行了评价。结果表明，20世纪60年代之前河口上中游水温持续上升，此后下游水温开始上升而上中游水温下降，河口地区的温度变化模式受电厂热排水影响。水温与鱼类平均数量和水体溶解氧呈负相关，其Spearman相关系数分别为-0.468和-0.607（P〈0.05）。BOD、氨氮和溶解氧与鱼类消失和重现存在对应关系，说明污染是影响鱼类长期变化的一个主要因素。气候变化也可能通过径流和潮汐的改变对鱼类产生影响。由于河口环境复杂以及各因子间的协同作用，泰晤士河口生态改善的影响因子还有待进一步深入研究。     

Relative Effects of Water Temperature and Water Chemistry on the Fish of the Thames Tideway

1 IntroductionThe Tidal Thames is a well mixed estuary stretching some140 km from Teddington to the North Sea , which provideshabitats for both resident and migrant fish species . With tidalwater enteringfromthe ocean and fresh water flowingfromtheland ,t…     

泰晤士河口水温和水化学特性对鱼类的影响研究

根据1915~2005年的长系列数据,对泰晤士河口水温和水化学特性对鱼类的影响进行了评价。结果表明,20世纪60年代之前河口上中游水温持续上升,此后下游水温开始上升而上中游水温下降,河口地区的温度变化模式受电厂热排水影响。水温与鱼类平均数量和水体溶解氧呈负相关,其Spearman相关系数分别为-0.468和-0.607(p<0.05)。BOD、氨氮和溶解氧与鱼类消失和重现存在对应关系,说明污染是影响鱼类长期变化的一个主要因素。气候变化也可能通过径流和潮汐的改变对鱼类产生影响。由于河口环境复杂以及各因子间的协同作用,泰晤士河口生态改善的影响因子还有待进一步深入研究。     

广东省乐昌峡鱼类增殖站建设与运行管理

水利工程建设不可避免地对鱼类产生不利影响,建设鱼类增殖站实施人工增殖放流,是弥补鱼类资源损失的一项重要措施。乐昌峡鱼类增殖站是广东省境内第一个建成的水利枢纽配套鱼类增殖站,对减轻乐昌峡水利枢纽对武江鱼类资源的影响具有重要作用,总结其建设和管理经验对同类工程建设管理具有借鉴意义。     

Hydropower Development,Riverine Connectivity,and Non‐sport Fish Species: criteria for Hydraulic Design of Fishways

Hydropower barriers are among the most conspicuous anthropogenic alterations to natural riverine connectivity, resulting in species‐specific effects linked to dispersal abilities, especially swimming performance. They may present a particular problem for small‐bodied ‘non‐sport fish’, such as those that characterize the freshwater communities of temperate regions in the Southern Hemisphere. Recent studies have suggested that nature‐like fishways could ensure passage of diverse fish assemblages through hydropower barriers. Through experiments performed in a swim tunnel, we present, for the first time, fishway design criteria for two non‐sport species endemic to Chile, a country experiencing rapid hydropower development. In`cremental velocity tests showed that Cheirodon galusdae and juveniles of Basilichthys microlepidotus were capable of very similar standardized critical swimming speeds of 69.7 and 69.6 cm s^?1, respectively. When expressed in units of body lengths, C. galusdae was capable of very high critical speeds of 16.2 bl s^?1, whereas for B. microlepidotus, this was 7.6 bl s^?1. However, fixed velocity tests revealed that the swimming endurance of the latter species was slightly higher. Dimensionless analysis showed a clear relationship between fatigue time and fish Froude number, similar to that already described for subcarangiforms. Based on these results, we present fishway design curves indicating a transition from sustained to prolonged swimming at a fishway length of 15 m. Our results show that the swimming capacity of these species is well‐suited to the mean flow velocity field described for nature‐like fishways. However, more work is required to understand the effects of turbulence on the passage of non‐sport species. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Fish catch and fishing practices in the Nam Theun 2 Reservoir and watershed (Lao PDR)

A fish catch and fishing practice monitoring survey were conducted from 2008 to 2014 in villages adjacent to the Nam Theun 2 Reservoir and its upstream tributaries. The reservoir fisheries exhibited – the three expected phases following impoundment (i.e. trophic upsurge, trophic depletion and stabilization, respectively). This study focused on assessing fish catches and fishing practices from communities living next to the reservoir, and those living upstream of the reservoir, over these phases, and to identify factors that could influence total fish catch. The fish catch appeared to be higher among communities located next to the reservoir, compared to communities living in upstream areas. Fish catches in the upstream tributaries remained relatively stable after impoundment, with a slight increase in the average catch. The reservoir exhibited a low fish yield, compared to similar reservoirs, which could be linked to its oligotrophic status. The majority of the total catch biomass of the reservoir was comprised primarily of two species (i.e. Oreochromis niloticus; Hampala macrolepidota) since a stabilization of the catches was observed. Reservoir fisheries appeared to be mainly driven by hydrological factors, specifically the influence of the rainy season peak. The results of this study indicated no over‐exploitation of fisheries occurred overall, although the fishery resource is still fragile. Fishing activities are known to occur in protected zones (productive areas with large inundated habitat areas), with higher annual total catch being observed during periods of poor enforcement of these zones. As fisheries have become an important income source for villagers living along the NT2 Reservoir, regulation and adequate management of the reservoir are recommended to maintain the reservoir fisheries as a sustainable activity.     

Implications of compensatory and additive mortality to the management of selected sportfish populations

The compensatory mortality hypothesis postulates that a population's total mortality remains unchanged at low to intermediate exploitation rates because natural mortality decreases to compensate for reduced density, whereas the additive mortality hypothesis postulates that any increase in exploitation mortality results in an increase in total mortality. Fishing and natural mortality rates have generally been assumed to be additive rather than compensatory. We reviewed mortality estimates for some prominent sportfish populations to identify evidence for compensatory or additive mortality. For largemouth bass Micropterus salmoides, total annual mortality increased with annual exploitation suggesting additive mortality. For crappies Pomoxis nigromaculatus and P. annularis, annual exploitation did not seem to affect annual mortality at low to moderate annual exploitation, but annual mortality increased with annual exploitation as it increased beyond 40%, conforming to the compensatory mortality hypothesis. Northern pike Esox lucius mortality estimates revealed no relation between annual mortality and annual exploitation, and highly variable annual mortality for a given annual exploitation. Evidence from the literature suggests that mortality of northern pike may be compensatory for fish smaller than 40 cm total length, but additive for larger fish. Because compensatory natural mortality reduces the managers’ability to control annual mortality, we suggest that further consideration of the compensatory mortality hypothesis be given to species that have shown variable mortality responses to reductions in annual exploitation.     

Reinforcement and Validation of the Analyses and Conclusions Related to Fishway Evaluation Data from Bunt et al.: ‘Performance of Fish Passage Structures at Upstream Barriers to Migration’

Detailed re‐examination of the datasets that were used for a meta‐analysis of fishway attraction and passage revealed a number of errors that we addressed and corrected. We subsequently re‐analysed the revised dataset, and results showed no significant changes in the primary conclusions of the original study; for most species, effective performance cannot be assured for any fishway type.     

Effects of Road Crossings on Habitat Connectivity for Stream‐Resident Fish

Road crossings can act as barriers to the movement of stream fishes, resulting in habitat fragmentation, reduced population resilience to environmental disturbance and higher risks of extinction. Strategic barrier removal has the potential to improve connectivity in stream networks, but managers lack a consistent framework for determining which projects will most benefit target species. The objective of this study is to develop a method for identifying and prioritizing action on road crossings in order to restore stream network connectivity. We demonstrate the method using a case study from the Pine‐Popple watershed in Wisconsin. First, we propose a new metric for quantifying stream connectivity status for stream‐resident fish. The metric quantifies the individual and cumulative effects of barriers on reach and watershed level connectivity, while accounting for natural barriers, distance‐based dispersal limitations and variation in habitat type and quality. We conducted a comprehensive field survey of road crossings in the watershed to identify barriers and estimate replacement costs. Of the 190 surveyed road crossings, 74% were determined to be barriers to the movement of at least one species or life stage of fish, primarily due to high water velocity, low water depth or outlet drops. The results of the barrier removal prioritization show that initial projects targeted for mitigation create much greater improvements in connectivity per unit cost than later projects. Benefit–cost curves from this type of analysis can be used to evaluate potential projects within and among watersheds and minimize overall expenditures for specified restoration targets. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

水电开发对鱼类资源的影响及其保护措施

水电开发造成了河流环境结构和水文情势的改变,对河流水生生态系统形成了破坏。水电开发对鱼类资源的影响主要表现为阻隔了鱼类洄游通道以及对鱼类多样性、鱼类栖息地、下泄水水温、气体过饱和的影响。针对这些影响,提出采用修建过鱼设施、建设鱼类增殖站、建立鱼类种质资源保护区、下泄生态流量、分层取水等保护措施,以维持鱼类资源的多样性。水电开发应采取综合措施解决水生生态问题,特别是流域梯级开发更应注重对整个流域生态系统结构进行统筹规划,保护河流生态系统的完整性。     

Geochemical Availability of Some Trace and Major Elements in Surficial Sediments of the Detroit River and Western Lake Erie

Surficial bottom sediment from twenty locations in the Detroit River and western Lake Erie has been analyzed for potentially available Ba, Be, Cd, Cr, Co, Cu, Pb, Mn, Mo, Ni, P, V, and Zn. The highest concentrations of all but one of these elements were found at a station at the river-lake interface very close to a dumping ground. The environmental mobility of Cd, Zn, Co, Pb, Cr, Ni, and P is controlled by hydrous iron oxides, whereas V and Mo is controlled by aluminosilicates. The iron oxide phase exhibits a very high sorption capacity for phosphorus (molar adsorption coefficient = .361) which is attributed to the high loadings of Fe and P at the confluence of the Rouge and Detroit rivers as well as continuous inputs along the length of the Detroit River. It is suggested that phosphorus controls instituted in the 1970s will probably result in the iron oxide phase having greater sorption capacity for toxic metals because of the decreasing competition from phosphorus for binding sites.     

Behavioral and reproductive effects of the lampricides TFM and TFM:1% Niclosamide on native freshwater mussels

The lampricides TFM (3-trifluoromethyl-4′-nitrophenol) and Niclosamide (NIC, 2′, 5-dichloro-4′-nitrosalicylanilide) are used to control sea lamprey populations in the Great Lakes and associated tributaries. Niclosamide is often used as an additive to TFM to reduce the amount of TFM required to control sea lamprey. Concern is growing over the risk that lampricide treatments pose to native freshwater mussels residing in streams. Our objectives were to determine the acute toxicity of TFM and TFM:NIC to free glochidia (removed from the marsupial gills), compare the relative toxicity of TFM and TFM:NIC between free glochidia and brooded glochidia (within the marsupial gills), determine if glochidia age influences toxicity, and assess if exposure of gravid mussels to TFM and TFM:NIC alters behavior and reproduction. Three acute toxicity tests (2:TFM, 1:TFM : NIC) were conducted with glochidia and adults of the plain pocketbook mussel (Lampsilis cardium). In tests with glochidia, viability did not differ across TFM and TFM : NIC concentrations that encompassed typical stream treatments. Glochidia age influenced toxicity as glochidia obtained later in the brooding season were less viable than glochidia obtained earlier in the brooding season. Exposure of adults to elevated concentrations of lampricides often resulted in behavioral effects, but rarely affected reproductive endpoints. Because mussels are long-lived (30 to 100 y), even intermittent and short duration exposures may cumulatively affect mussels over their lifetime. The risks posed by lampricide treatments in the Great Lakes would be further informed by research on the sublethal effects of lampricides, particularly effects on non-target organisms such as mussels.