Effects of contaminated sediments and sediment-exposed effluent water on an estuarine fish: Acute toxicity

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The Elizabeth River is Virginia's most heavily populated, industrialized and contaminated subestuary. Its sediments contain the residues of wastes discharged for several hundred years. To examine some of the effects of sediment from a particularly noxious location, we chose the spot (Leiostomus xanthurus), a bottom-feeding sciaenid and naturally occurring spring-summer migrant of the river whose juveniles adapt readily to laboratory conditions. Spot from the Ware River, a nearby uncontaminated reference subestuary, were placed in two 380 liter (100 USgal), flow-through tanks (70 each). One tank contained Elizabeth River sediments contaminated with PAHs. The second tank contained uncontaminated sediment from the York River as a control. 13 spot each were placed in two aquaria that received the overflow from the sediment-containing tanks. Animals from the reference estuary were examined and processed to provide baseline information. Results obtained to date show the following: (1) spot experimentally exposed to contaminated sediment developed penetrating integumental lesions within 8 days after exposure began and later severe fin and gill erosion; (2) their hematocrits were significantly reduced and no weight gain occurred; (3) pancreatic and liver alterations were observed in some of the chemically stressed fish; (4) control fish exhibited no fin erosion or integumental lesions; (5) control fish showed no hematocrit or growth reduction; and (6) dead fish were first observed in the contaminated-sediment tank after 8 days while no control fish died. Clearly, one or more factors associated with Elizabeth River sediments and/or water closely associated with those sediments (probably the heavy concentrations of PAHs) are capable of causing serious injury, disease and death in experimental spot populations.