In situ bioassays of brook trout (salvelinus fontinalis) and blacknose dace (rhinichthys atratulus) in adirondack streams affected by episodic acidification

Technical Report · Fri Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1993

OSTI ID:5640632

Simonin, H A; Kretser, W A; Bath, D W; Olson, M; Gallagher, J

In situ bioassays were conducted using native Adirondack brook trout and blacknose dace in four headwater streams. Conductivity, pH, temperature, and stage height were monitored continuously, and water samples for laboratory analysis were collected during hydrologic episodes. Fish survived well during baseflow conditions, but during periods of spring snowmelt or large precipitation events, survival was poor. Bioassay fish that had been in the stream 15-24 d survived episodes better than fish that had either not become acclimatized or recovered from handling. Duration of exposure to acidic episodes was critical. Extended periods of poor water quality resulted in fish mortality and may be more important to native populations than short acidic episodes.

• Research Organization: New York State Dept. of Environmental Conservation, Albany, NY (United States)
• OSTI ID: 5640632
• Report Number(s): PB-94-113032/XAB
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
540320 -- Environment
Aquatic-- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport-- (1990-)
560300* -- Chemicals Metabolism & Toxicology
63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT.
ACID RAIN
ACIDIFICATION
ADIRONDACK MOUNTAINS
ALUMINIUM
AMBIENT TEMPERATURE
ANIMALS
APPALACHIAN MOUNTAINS
AQUATIC ORGANISMS
ATMOSPHERIC PRECIPITATIONS
BIOASSAY
DEVELOPED COUNTRIES
ELEMENTS
ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY
ENVIRONMENTAL TRANSPORT
FISHES
FRESH WATER
GROUND WATER
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
HYDROLOGY
IN-SITU PROCESSING
MASS TRANSFER
METALS
MORTALITY
MOUNTAINS
NEW YORK
NORTH AMERICA
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PH VALUE
PROCESSING
RAIN
RUNOFF
SAMPLING
TROUT
USA
VERTEBRATES
WATER
WATER QUALITY