Fish behavior: applied studies to assess environmental effects of energy-related activities

Conference · Mon Apr 01 04:00:00 EST 1985

OSTI ID:6135315

Gray, R H

Studies at the Battelle Pacific Northwest Laboratories have evaluated fish response to thermal discharge, gas supersaturated water, water soluble fractions of coal liquids and other environmental stresses. Approaches have included biotelemetry in the field, and avoidance/attraction and predator prey studies in the laboratory. Sonic-tracking studies in the Columbia River indicated that thermal discharges did not block upstream migration of adult salmonids (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha, Salmo gairdneri). Laboratory studies showed that juvenile O. tshawytscha avoided thermal discharges when ..delta..ts exceed 9 to 11/sup 0/C above ambient. However, juvenile salmon were more susceptible to predation at 10 to 20% of the thermal dose causing loss of equilibrium. Radio-tracking studies showed that adult O. tshawytscha swam deeper in supersaturated water than normally saturated water in the Snake River and thereby avoided the upper, critical zone. Laboratory studies showed that carp (Cyprinus carpio), and black bullhead (Ictalurus melas) did not always avoid lethal gas levels and some fish died in the test apparatus. Fathead minnow (Pimephales promelas) avoided the water soluble fraction (WSF) of a coal liquid at concentrations causing acute effects, but not at those causing chronic effects. Rainbow trout (S. gairdneri) did not avoid coal liquid WSFs although they did avoid the major constituent, phenol, tested as a pure compound. Other studies with phenol showed that susceptibility to predation did not increase until phenol concentrations reached the acute LC/sub 50/. 10 figs., 1 tab.

• Research Organization: Pacific Northwest Lab., Richland, WA (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: AC06-76RL01830
• OSTI ID: 6135315
• Report Number(s): PNL-SA-12506; CONF-8508134-1; ON: DE85017862
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT
010900 -- Coal
Lignite
& Peat-- Environmental Aspects
13 HYDRO ENERGY
130600 -- Hydro Energy-- Environmental Aspects
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560305 -- Chemicals Metabolism & Toxicology-- Vertebrates-- (-1987)
63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT.
ANADROMOUS FISHES
ANIMALS
AQUATIC ORGANISMS
AROMATICS
BEHAVIOR
BIOLOGICAL EFFECTS
COAL LIQUIDS
DISSOLVED GASES
ELEMENTS
FATHEAD MINNOW
FISHES
FLUIDS
GASES
HYDROXY COMPOUNDS
LIQUIDS
MIGRATION
NITROGEN
NONMETALS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
PHENOL
PHENOLS
SALMON
SATURATION
SOLUTES
SUPERSATURATION
THERMAL EFFLUENTS
TROUT
VERTEBRATES