Changes in Avoidance Response Time of Juvenile Chinook Salmon Exposed to Multiple Acute Handling Stresses

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Abstract
A simple behavioral test was devised to determine the effects of multiple acute stresses on the avoidance response time of fish. Groups of freshwater-adapted juvenile chinook salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha were exposed to a sudden overhead light and the time it took each fish to reach cover was noted. Tests were done on fish stressed one, two, or three times with 3 h between stresses, and on fish 1, 3, 6, and 24 h after each level of stress; unstressed fish served as controls. All unstressed fish reached cover within 15 s. Stressed fish took longer to reach cover (often several minutes), with the greatest delay in response occurring immediately after the stress. There was a gradual decrease in response time with recovery from the stresses. Exposure to two or three consecutive stresses increased the delay in response time over that offish exposed to a single stress, indicating that the effects of the stresses were cumulative.

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