Biological and Toxicologtcal Effects of Environmental Contaminants in Fish and Their Eggs

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Abstract
Rainbow trout (Salmo gairdneri), white sucker (Catostomus commersoni), white bass (Morone chrysops), smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieui) and yellow perch (Perca flavescens) were collected from Lakes Ontario and Erie [USA, Canada] to examine the relationship between contaminant levels in females and their eggs. Factors such as the percent lipid in the fish and percent of total lipid deposited in the eggs significantly influenced (P < 0.01) contaminant transfer. The percentages of the 9-11 organic contaminants transferred generally showed less variation within a species than the percentages for a substance transferred among the 5 spp. examined. This relationship was consistent even though there was > 10-fold range in contaminant concentrations within a given species. Hg did not demonstrate this response because the percentage in eggs was low for all species. The levels of PCB [polychlorinated biphenyl] monitored in eggs of rainbow trout collected from Lake Ontario suggested that egg and fry survival rates could have been affected based on the toxicological evidence from other studies. An examination of the possible effects of spawning on the kinetics of contaminants among these species suggested that relative body concentrations of organic contaminants may have been decreased by 5% or increased by 10%, and Hg levels may have been increased by 6-22% following the deposition of eggs. The amount of change varied with species and was influenced by the percent egg weight of body weight, and the rate of contaminant transfer from females to eggs.

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