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At least 1,711 records · Page 95Linked to original sources

Steroid determination in fish plasma using capillary electrophoresis

A capillary separation method that incorporates pH-mediated stacking is employed for the simultaneous determination of circulating steroid hormones in plasma from Perca flavescens (yellow perch) collected from natural aquatic environments. The method can be applied to separate eight steroid standards: progesterone, 17α,20β-dihydroxypregn-4-en-3-one, 17α-hydroxyprogesterone, testosterone, estrone, 11-ketotestosterone, ethynyl estradiol, and 17β-estradiol. Based on screening of plasma, the performance of the analytical method was determined for 17α,20β-dihydroxypregn-4-en-3-one, testosterone, 11-ketotestosterone, and 17β-estradiol. The within-day reproducibility in migration time for these four steroids in aqueous samples was ≤2%. Steroid quantification was accomplished using a calibration curve obtained with external standards. Plasma samples from fish collected from the Choptank and Severn Rivers, Maryland, USA, stored for up to one year were extracted with ethyl acetate and then further processed with anion exchange and hydrophobic solid phase extraction cartridges. The recovery of testosterone and 17β-estradiol from yellow perch plasma was 84 and 85%, respectively. Endogenous levels of testosterone ranged from 0.9 to 44 ng/ml, and when detected 17α,20β-dihydroxypregn-4-en-3-one ranged from 5 to 34 ng/ml. The reported values for testosterone correlated well with the immunoassay technique. Endogenous concentrations of 17β-estradiol were ≤1.7 ng/ml. 11-Ketotestosterone was not quantified because of a suspected interferant. Higher levels of 17α,20β-dihydroxypregn-4-en-3-one were found in male and female fish in which 17β-estradiol was not detected. Monitoring multiple steroids can provide insight into hormonal fluctuations in fish.

Maryland↗

Endocrine active contaminants in aquatic systems and intersex in common sport fishes

Male fish are susceptible to developing intersex, a condition characterized by the presence of testicular oocytes. In the present study, the relationship between intersex and exposure to estrogenic endocrine active contaminants (EACs) was assessed for 2 genera of sport fish, Micropterus and Lepomis , at 20 riverine sites. Seasonal trends and relationships between EACs and intersex (prevalence and severity) were examined at varying putative sources of EACs throughout North Carolina, identified as point sources, nonpoint sources, and reference sites. Intersex was identified in both genera, which was documented for the first time in wild-caught Lepomis . Intersex was more prevalent (59.8%) and more severe (1.6 mean rank) in Micropterus , which was highly correlation to EACs in sediment. In contrast, intersex was less common (9.9%) and less severe (0.2 mean rank) in Lepomis and was highly correlated to EACs in the water column. The authors found that concentrations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, polychlorinated biphenyls, industrial EACs, and estrogens were highest at point source sites; however, no source type variation was identified in the prevalence or severity of intersex, nor were there seasonal trends in intersex or EAC concentrations. The authors’ results associate genus-specific prevalence of intersex with specific EAC classes in common sport fishes having biological, ecological, and conservation implications.

Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry↗

Importance of growth rate on mercury and polychlorinated biphenyl bioaccumulation in fish

To evaluate the effect of fish growth on mercury (Hg) and polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) bioaccumulation, a non–steady‐state toxicokinetic model, combined with a Wisconsin bioenergetics model, was developed to simulate Hg and PCB bioaccumulation in bluegill ( Lepomis macrochirus ). The model was validated by comparing observed with predicted Hg and PCB 180 concentrations across 5 age classes from 5 different waterbodies across North America. The non–steady‐state model generated accurate predictions for Hg and PCB bioaccumulation in 3 of 5 waterbodies: Apsey Lake (ON, Canada), Sharbot Lake (ON, Canada), and Stonelick Lake (OH, USA). The poor performance of the model for the Detroit River (MI, USA/ON, Canada) and Lake Hartwell (GA/SC, USA), which are 2 well‐known contaminated sites with possibly high heterogeneity in spatial contamination, was attributed to changes in feeding behavior and/or prey contamination. Model simulations indicate that growth dilution is a major component of contaminant bioaccumulation patterns in fish, especially during early life stages, and was predicted to be more important for hydrophobic PCBs than for Hg. Simulations that considered tissue‐specific growth provided some improvement in model performance particularly for PCBs in fish populations that exhibited changes in their whole‐body lipid content with age. Higher variation in lipid growth compared with that of lean dry protein was also observed between different bluegill populations, which partially explains the greater variation in PCB bioaccumulation slopes compared with Hg across sampling sites.

Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry↗

Response to Gard et al.'s (2021) Comments on the Critical Review “Polychlorinated Biphenyl Tissue-Concentration Thresholds for Survival, Growth, and Reproduction in Fish”

This response is offered to the critique by Gard et al. ( 2021 ) of our meta-analysis of polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB)-induced toxicity data in fish (Berninger and Tillitt 2019 ). Gard et al. ( 2021 ) offered numerous comments, the most substantive suggesting that 1) we should have added no-observable–adverse effect residue (NOAER) data from additional studies and all data points from selected studies, and 2) the uncertainty of aggregating data from different PCB mixtures, different species, and different life stages is too great based on a limited data set. The additional studies Gard et al. suggested either were not designed to produce toxicological data, had experimental design issues, were confounded by co-contaminants, or did not contain paired exposure–effects data and as such were not appropriate to add to the data set. Lowest-observable–adverse effect residue (LOAER) values were selected for our analysis because they represent population sensitivities from the central portions of a frequency distribution (the linear portion of dose–response curves). As a consequence, there is less uncertainty in these input data (LOAER values) and greater confidence that they accurately represent the response of fish populations tested. Modeling NOAER values is in the extrapolation portion of a dose–response relationship and subject to enhanced uncertainty. The Gard et al. ( 2021 ) critique ignores this fundamental principle of toxicology and adds/deletes data points from our data set without clear selection criteria, which artificially enhances the uncertainty of their models that ultimately are not useful. We reject the premise that it is better to use individual study data as opposed to aggregation of PCB-induced toxicity thresholds in fish.

Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry↗

Acute bioassays and hazard evaluation of representative contaminants detected in Great Lakes fish

We have provided a hazard ranking for 19 classes of compounds representing many of the nearly 500 organic compounds identified by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry in lake trout ( Salvelinus namaycush ) and walleye ( Stizostedion vitreum vitreum ) from the Great Lakes and Lake St. Clair. We initially made a provisional hazard ranking based on available published and unpublished information on aquatic toxicity, bioaccumulation, occurrence and sources. Acute toxicity tests with Daphnia pulex at 17A°C in reconstituted hard water were performed with 30 compounds representative of the 19 classes that were highest in the provisional ranking. The resulting toxicity data, along with information on the compounds' occurrence in Great Lakes fish and their sources, were ranked and weighted and then used in calculating the revised hazard ranking. The 10 most hazardous classes, in descending order, are as follows (values shown are mean 48-h EC50s, in μ/ml): arene halides (e.g., polychlorinated biphenyls, DDT), 0.0011; phthalate esters, 0.133; chlorinated camphenes (toxaphene), 0.0082; polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs; e.g., dimethylnaphthalene) and reduced derivatives, 1.01; chlorinated fused polycyclics (e.g., trans -nonachlor), 0.022; nitrogen-containing compounds (e.g., O-methylhydroxyl-amine), 1.35; alkyl halides (e.g., (bromomethyl)cyclohexene), 10.1; cyclic alkanes (e.g., cyclododecane), 20.9; silicon-containing compounds (e.g., dimethyldiethoxy silane), 1.25; and heterocyclic nitrogen compounds (e.g., nicotine), 2.48. We recommend that chronic bioassays be conducted with fish and invertebrates to determine the sublethal effects of the following classes of compounds, for which few toxicity data are available: PAHs, heterocyclic nitrogen compounds, other nitrogen-containing compounds, alkyl halides, cyclic alkanes and silicon-containing compounds. Information from these types of studies will aid researchers in determining the possible causal role these contaminants play in the decline and reproductive impairment of Great Lakes fish.

Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry↗

The role of sediment ingestion in exposing bottom-feeding fish to chemical elements

Digesta were collected from the intestines of seven species of bottom-feeding fish to better understand the role of incidental ingestion of sediment in exposing fish to inorganic contaminants. A composite sediment tracer variable, based on concentrations of Co, Cr, Ni, Ti, V, and Y in digesta and in sediment, was calculated to estimate sediment content of digesta. Concentration factors (mg/kg in digesta divided by mg/kg in sediment) of eight elements of interest were linearly regressed on this tracer variable. The relative importance of sediment ingestion to oral exposure was quantified. Zinc, Cd, and Cu were ingested mainly from sediment-free food. Arsenic, Cr, Ni, Al, and Pb, in contrast, were ingested mainly from sediment. As an example, 93% of the Ni in digesta from a brown bullhead ( Ameiurus nebulosus ) was from sediment and only 7% from food. Regressions of Al and Pb in digesta of suckers (Catostomidae) suggested an additional oral source, possibly from oxides coating biotic or abiotic surfaces. Overall, concentrations of 12 of 21 elements studied were positively correlated with sediment content ( p < 0.005). Including sediment ingestion as a pathway for bottom-feeding fish is essential for accurately estimating exposures in toxicological studies.

Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry↗

Evaluating the conservation potential of tributaries for native fishes in the Upper Colorado River Basin

We explored the conservation potential of tributaries in the upper Colorado River basin by modeling native fish species richness as a function of river discharge, temperature, barrier‐free length, and distance to nearest free‐flowing main‐stem section. We investigated a historic period prior to large‐scale water development and a contemporary period. In the historic period, species richness was log‐linearly correlated to variables capturing flow magnitude, particularly mean annual discharge. In the contemporary period, the log‐linear relationship between discharge and species richness was still evident but weaker. Tributaries with lower average temperature and separated from free‐flowing main‐stem sections often had fewer native species compared to tributaries with similar discharge but with warmer temperature and directly connected to free‐flowing main stems. Thus, tributaries containing only a small proportion of main‐stem discharge, especially those at lower elevations with warmer temperatures and connected to free‐flowing main stems, can support a relatively high species richness. Tributaries can help maintain viable populations by providing ecological processes disrupted on large regulated rivers, such as natural flow and temperature regimes, and may present unique conservation opportunities. Efforts to improve fish passage, secure environmental flows, and restore habitat in these tributaries could greatly contribute to conservation of native fish richness throughout the watershed.

Upper Colorado River Basin↗

Inexpensive, underwater filming of rare fishes in high definition

Generating public interest in fish and their biology is often challenging. Many aquatic species are cryptic and largely invisible to the public. Therefore, increasing public awareness of cryptic fishes and elevating their visibility to broad audiences requires innovation. Inexpensive technological advancements now provide fisheries biologists, managers, and researchers with means never before possible for documenting fish in their natural habitat via underwater videography. We investigated cost efficient and simple methods for capturing and creating high quality, high definition, and informative underwater videos that could be used by people with little or no previous experience in videography. We tested 1) a variety of filming equipment including cameras and camera recording settings, lenses, batteries, and memory cards; 2) active and passive camera deployment techniques; and 3) a variety of free and paid postproduction software and compared them for ease of use, expense, and quality of output. Highest quality footage, i.e., highest resolution, clearest, and most stable, was obtained using a GoPro action camera deployed underwater in a stationary position mounted to a metal base plate using a combination of stock and macro lenses, and filming in 4K resolution at 30 frames per second. Final production videos were created using Adobe Premiere Pro.

Fisheries Magazine↗

Native fish need a natural flow regime

Water development has threatened the ecological integrity of riverine ecosystems. Increasing water demand, persistent drought, and climate change exacerbate the effects of habitat degradation and loss in altered systems such as the Colorado River basin. Today, biologists are challenged to identify management actions that benefit native fishes while not hindering water development or management. Herein, we discuss the importance of the natural flow regime for functioning riverine ecosystems and provide examples from four tributaries to the Green River, a major headwater branch of the Colorado River. These tributaries represent a gradient of impacts ranging from water abstraction to the point of complete seasonal desiccation to a relatively natural flow regime, and consequently have maintained different levels of instream habitat complexity and native fish persistence. Despite decades of management, endangered species lack self-sustaining populations and other native species have been extirpated from over half their ranges, which begs the question: can water development and fish conservation be balanced under current water laws and climate change-driven declines in runoff? Given the continued decline in freshwater biodiversity and abundance occurring across the globe, we contend that immediate designation of rivers with natural flow regimes as freshwater conservation areas will enhance native species recovery.

Arizona, Colorado, Utah, Wyoming↗

Arctic fishes reveal patterns in radiocarbon age across habitats and with recent climate change

Climate change alters the sources and age of carbon in Arctic food webs by fostering the release of older carbon from degrading permafrost. Radiocarbon ( 14 C) traces carbon sources and age, but data before rapid warming are rare and limit assessments over time. We capitalized on 14 C data collected ~ 40 years ago that used fish as natural samplers by resampling the same species today. Among resampled fish, those using freshwater food webs had the oldest 14 C ages (> 1000 yr BP), while those using marine food webs had the youngest 14 C ages (near modern). One migratory species encompassed the entire range of 14 C ages because juveniles fed in freshwater streams and adults fed in offshore marine habitats. Over ~ 40 yr, average 14 C ages of freshwater and marine feeding fish shifted closer to atmospheric values, suggesting a potential influence from “greening of the Arctic.”

Alaska↗

Effectiveness of ultrasonic imaging for evaluating presence and maturity of eggs in fishes in remote field locations

Ultrasonic imaging is an effective, nonlethal method used to determine sex and maturity in a variety of fishes. However, many previous studies of this technique have been performed in laboratory environments. Using Common Carp Cyprinus carpio , we developed a standardized method for ultrasonically scanning cyprinids, and we accurately sexed 78% ( N = 58) of those individuals. We then applied this method to endangered Humpback Chub Gila cypha and obtained 751 scans of Humpback Chub in remote field locations within the Grand Canyon, Arizona. Ultrasonic scanning took less than 1 min per fish to perform, and we identified females containing eggs based on two jpeg images and one 10-s video clip. Using ImageJ software to evaluate ultrasonic scans of ovulatory, captive Humpback Chub, we determined that female fish were potentially ovulatory when scanned eggs exhibited an ImageJ brightness value within the range of 32–44. Although we could successfully evaluate egg maturity, we were unable to estimate egg mass. Fisheries managers can use this noninvasive scanning method or a similar technique in remote field locations to collect ultrasonic scans from cyprinids to determine their reproductive status.

North American Journal of Fisheries Management↗

Water and endangered fish in the Klamath River Basin: Do Upper Klamath Lake surface elevation and water quality affect adult Lost River and Shortnose Sucker survival?

In the western United States, water allocation decisions often incorporate the needs of endangered fish. In the Klamath River basin, an understanding of temporal variation in annual survival rates of Shortnose Suckers Chasmistes brevirostris and Lost River Suckers Deltistes luxatus and their relation to environmental drivers is critical to water management and sucker recovery. Extinction risk is high for these fish because most individuals in the populations are approaching their maximum life span and recruitment of new fish into the adult populations has never exceeded mortality losses in the past 22 years. We used a time series of mark–recapture data from the years 1999–2021 to analyze the relationship between lake level, water quality covariates, and survival of adult Shortnose Suckers and two spawning populations of Lost River Suckers in Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon. We compared competing model hypotheses in a maximum likelihood framework using Akaike's information criterion and then ran the top environmental covariates in a Bayesian framework to estimate how much of the variation in survival was explained by these covariates as compared to random variation. The complementary analyses found almost unequivocal support for our base model without environmental covariates. Estimated adult sucker survival was high across the time series and consistent with sucker life history (mean annual survival = 0.82–0.91). This suggests that adult suckers were generally robust to interannual variation in lake levels as well as consistently poor water quality within the years of our data set. Recovery time is limited, as a declining survival trend for adult suckers in recent years may be due to the onset of senescence. The successful recovery of suckers in Upper Klamath Lake may rely on shifting research from the causes of adult mortality and its relationship with lake surface elevation to the causes of poor recruitment into adult populations.

California, Oregon↗

Fish size structure analysis via ordination: A visualization aid

Objective Visual aids like length-frequency histograms are widely used to examine fish population status and trends; however, comparing multiple histograms simultaneously becomes cumbersome and inefficient. Complicating matters further, overlaying covariates on histograms to highlight connections with length frequencies can be challenging. An alternative, and the subject of this Perspective, is to display length distributions as an ordination using similarity indexes; in many cases, this allows for improved visual organization and representation of relationships with covariates. Methods I review the application of ordination methods for analysis of size structures using alternative visualizations that may facilitate the identification of connections that are concealed when analyzing a series of histograms. After a brief introduction to similarity indexes, types of ordinations, and sample sizes, I examine four case studies to illustrate size structure analysis via similarity indices: (1) unconstrained ordination to identify “bass-crowded” populations in a set of 34 small fishing lakes, (2) unconstrained ordination to evaluate the effect of three consecutive length limits on a Largemouth Bass Micropterus nigricans population over a span of 28 years, (3) constrained ordination to assess the relationships between fish community size structure and in-lake and off-lake environmental descriptors in 30 oxbow lakes, and (4) constrained ordination to identify what aspects of Largemouth Bass size structure were related to six types of reservoir habitats. Result Size structure analysis via similarity indexes enabled the exploration of extensive length-frequency data. It is important to acknowledge that ordinations serve solely as a visual aid for assessing size structure—no statistical testing is involved. Conclusion Ordination techniques and software are advancing at a quick pace, holding great promise for the future of size structure analysis via similarity indices.

North American Journal of Fisheries Management↗

Are two systemic fish assemblage sampling programmes on the upper Mississippi River telling us the same thing?

We applied an Index of Biotic Integrity (IBI) used on Wisconsin/Minnesota waters of the upper Mississippi River (UMR) to compare data from two systemic sampling programmes. Ability to use data from multiple sampling programmes could extend spatial and temporal coverage of river assessment and monitoring efforts. We normalized for effort and tested fish community data collected by the Environmental Monitoring and Assessment Program-Great Rivers Ecosystems (EMAP-GRE) 2004&ndash;2006 and the Long Term Resource Monitoring Program (LTRMP) 1993&ndash;2006. Each programme used daytime electrofishing along main channel borders but with some methodological and design differences. EMAP-GRE, designed for baseline and, eventually, compliance monitoring, used a probabilistic, continuous design. LTRMP, designed primarily for baseline and trend monitoring, used a stratified random design in five discrete study reaches. Analysis of similarity indicated no significant difference between EMAP-GRE and LTRMP IBI scores ( n =238; Global R = 0.052; significance level=0.972). Both datasets distinguished clear differences only between 'Fair' and 'Poor' condition categories, potentially supporting a 'pass&ndash;fail' assessment strategy. Thirteen years of LTRMP data demonstrated stable IBI scores through time in four of five reaches sampled. LTRMP and EMAPGRE IBI scores correlated along the UMR's upstream to downstream gradient (df [3, 25]; F =1.61; p =0.22). A decline in IBI scores from upstream to downstream was consistent with UMR fish community studies and a previous, empirically modelled human disturbance gradient. Comparability between EMAP-GRE (best upstream to downstream coverage) and LTRMP data (best coverage over time and across the floodplain) supports a next step of developing and testing a systemic, multi-metric fish index on the UMR that both approaches could inform.

Illinois;Iowa;Minnesota;Missouri;Wisconsin↗

Invertebrate and fish assemblage relations to dissolved oxygen minima in lowland streams of southwestern Louisiana

Dissolved oxygen (DO) concentrations in lowland streams are naturally lower than those in upland streams; however, in some regions where monitoring data are lacking, DO criteria originally established for upland streams have been applied to lowland streams. This study investigated the DO concentrations at which fish and invertebrate assemblages at 35 sites located on lowland streams in southwestern Louisiana began to demonstrate biological thresholds. Average threshold values for taxa richness, diversity and abundance metrics were 2.6 and 2.3 mg/L for the invertebrate and fish assemblages, respectively. These thresholds are approximately twice the DO concentration that some native fish species are capable of tolerating and are comparable with DO criteria that have been recently applied to some coastal streams in Louisiana and Texas. DO minima >2.5 mg/L were favoured for all but extremely tolerant taxa. Extremely tolerant taxa had respiratory adaptations that gave them a competitive advantage, and their success when DO minima were <2 mg/L could be related more to reductions in competition or predation than to DO concentration directly. DO generally had an inverse relation to the amount of agriculture in the buffer area; however, DO concentrations at sites with both low and high amounts of agriculture (including three least-disturbed sites) declined to <2.5 mg/L. Thus, although DO fell below a concentration that was identified as an approximate biological threshold, sources of this condition were sometimes natural (allochthonous material) and had little relation to anthropogenic activity.

Louisiana↗

Fish assemblage relationships with physical characteristics and presence of dams in three eastern Iowa rivers

Fish assemblages in rivers of the Midwestern United States are an important component of the region's natural resources and biodiversity. We characterized the physical environment and presence of dams in a series of reaches in three eastern Iowa rivers tributary to the Mississippi River and related these characteristics to the fish assemblages present. Some physical characteristics were similar among the 12 study reaches, whereas others differed substantially. We found a total of 68 species across the 12 study reaches; 56 in the Turkey River, 51 in the Maquoketa River and 50 in the Wapsipinicon River. Seventeen species could be described as &lsquo;downstream-distributed&rsquo;; 15 being found only in the lowest reach of one or more rivers and the other two being found only in the lowest reaches or two or more contiguous reaches including the lowest reach. Two species could be described as &lsquo;upstream-distributed&rsquo;, being found only in an uppermost reach. Non-metric multidimensional scaling ordination illustrated similarities among reaches, and five physical variables were significantly correlated with assemblage similarities. Catchment area and number of dams between reaches and the Mississippi River were strongly correlated with assemblage similarities, but the directions of their effects were opposite. Catchment area and number of dams were confounded. The collective evidence to date suggests that the pervasiveness of dams on rivers significantly alters fish assemblages, making underlying patterns of species change and relationships with naturally varying and human-influenced physical characteristics along a river's course difficult to discern.

River Research and Applications↗

Evaluating the context dependency of large river nursery habitats for fishes in the lower Red River catchment

Both fine- and coarse-scale physicochemical conditions affect the quantity and quality of nursery habitats within riverine ecosystems. Nursery habitats in large, braided, and sandbed streams such as the lower Red River of Oklahoma, Texas, and Arkansas are not well described and likely vary among species. Identification of nursery habitats is important for developing proper conservation and management actions. We used an occupancy model framework to determine how hierarchical habitat factors related to the occupancy of 38 juvenile fish species. Our findings indicate that large river nursery habitats can generally be defined by reaches with off-channel slackwater habitat, having deep pools but shallow thalweg depths, typically located further away from dams, and with low percentages of limestone lithology. Species within the same genera often exhibited variable relationships with river slope, amount of large woody debris, channel shape, discharge, and position of reaches within the stream network. Our results indicate important species-specific relationships that define nursery habitats, indicating an important context dependency of nursery habitats even within fishes that are taxonomically similar. If the goal is to improve recruitment by native fishes, then consideration of the important species-specific differences would be beneficial if improvements are made to nursery habitats. Moreover, careful consideration of the effects of dam operations will help maintain proper connectivity to off-channel habitats important in downriver portions of the river network.

Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Texas↗

Development of water level regulation strategy for fish and wildlife, upper Mississippi River system

Water level regulation has been proposed as a tool for maintaining or enhancing fish and wildlife resources in navigation pools and associated flood plains of the Upper Mississippi River System. Research related to the development of water level management plans is being conducted under the Long Term Resource Monitoring Program. Research strategies include investigations of cause and effect relationships, spatial and temporal patterns of resource components, and alternative problem solutions. The principal hypothesis being tested states that water level fluctuations resulting from navigation dam operation create less than optimal conditions for the reproduction and growth of target aquatic macrophyte and fish species. Representative navigation pools have been selected to describe hydrologic, engineering, and legal constraints within which fish and wildlife objectives can be established. Spatial analyses are underway to predict the magnitude and location of habitat changes that will result from controlled changes in water elevation.

Mississippi River↗