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Bioaccumulation of cesium‐137 in yellow bullhead catfish ( Ameiurus natalis ) inhabiting an abandoned nuclear reactor reservoir
Author(s) -
McCreedy Clark D.,
Jagoe Charles H.,
Glickman Lawrence T.,
Brisbin I. Lehr
Publication year - 1997
Publication title -
environmental toxicology and chemistry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.1
H-Index - 171
eISSN - 1552-8618
pISSN - 0730-7268
DOI - 10.1002/etc.5620160231
Subject(s) - catfish , bioaccumulation , zoology , population , biology , fish <actinopterygii> , fishery , ecology , demography , sociology
Bioaccumulation of 137 Cs was investigated in yellow bullhead catfish ( Ameiurus natalis ) inhabiting an abandoned reactor reservoir, Pond B, Savannah River Site, Barnwell Co., South Carolina. We collected fish by trap‐netting, and determined ages from pectoral spines. Muscle and other tissues were assayed for 137 Cs by NaI‐scintillation. Muscle 137 Cs was unrelated to sex ( p = 0.859) or mass of fish ( p = 0.224), but was related to age ( p = 0.036). Examination of least‐squares means suggested that 137 Cs in muscle increased up to about age 3, but did not increase with greater age (means for 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 year olds were 2,630, 3,011, 3,513, 3,417, 3,599, and 3,339 Bq/kg, respectively). A modified Richards model showed equilibrium 137 Cs concentration in muscle (3,625 Bq/kg) was acquired in approximately 2.4 years. Growth differed between sexes ( p < 0.001), and the time to asymptotic body mass was longer than the time to attain equilibrium 137 Cs concentration. Males attained an asymptotic mass of 577 g in approximately 6.3 years; females attained an asymptotic mass of 438 g in approximately 5.9 years. The cumulative 137 Cs burden of the population was 4.9 × 10 6 Bq, representing <0.001% of the 137 Cs inventory of the reservoir. Concentration of 137 Cs varied among tissues ( p < 0.001), with gill and muscle the lowest and highest (634 and 3,712 Bq/kg, respectively). Concentration of 137 Cs in ovaries declined with increasing ovary mass ( p = 0.001; r 2 = 0.60). Until equilibrium is attained in these fish, 137 Cs concentration is directly related to increasing age rather than size.