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Effects of Continuous Zinc Exposure on Sockeye Salmon during Adult‐to‐Smolt Freshwater Residency
Author(s) -
Chapman Gary A.
Publication year - 1978
Publication title -
transactions of the american fisheries society
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.696
H-Index - 86
eISSN - 1548-8659
pISSN - 0002-8487
DOI - 10.1577/1548-8659(1978)107<828:eoczeo>2.0.co;2
Subject(s) - liter , zinc , oncorhynchus , fecundity , zoology , biology , acclimatization , fishery , seawater , toxicology , fish <actinopterygii> , chemistry , ecology , endocrinology , population , medicine , environmental health , organic chemistry
This chronic zinc toxicity test with sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) consisted of a 3‐mo adult exposure followed by an 18‐mo exposure of embryonic through smolt stages. The zinc concentrations utilized were 30 to 112 μg/liter during the adult‐to‐smolt exposure period, and an additional 242 μg/liter concentration was used for the embryo‐to‐smolt exposure period. These zinc concentrations produced no adverse effects on survival, fertility, fecundity, growth, or on the subsequent survival of smolts transferred to seawater. Exposure to 242 μg/liter produced sufficient acclimation to markedly decrease acute mortality at zinc levels lethal to unacclimated sockeye salmon juveniles. The 112‐ and 242‐μg/liter concentrations were 0.15 and 0.32, respectively, of the 749‐μg/liter, 96‐h LC50 for the 8‐mo‐old sockeye salmon. An application factor relating 96‐h LC50 and “safe” concentrations of zinc to anadromous sockeye salmon in soft water appears to be >0.15 and at least 15 times larger than the often recommended 0.01 application factor for zinc based on studies with other species.