Review of Biochemical Methods and Other Indicators to Assess Fish Health in Aquatic Ecosystems Containing Toxic Chemicals

Abstract

Whole animal, cellular, biochemical, and genetic studies were reviewed to identify methods that could be used to assess the health of fish from a field perspective. The survey, which focused primarily on the effects of chemical exposure, indicated most techniques would not be suitable for field use because threshold response levels were substantially higher than most environmental chemical concentrations. These responses could also be influenced by biological and environmental factors which increase the difficulties in determining if a change in a biological measurement is actually detrimental to fish. Several indicators would be required to determine the well-being of a natural fish population because the causes are likely to be of multiple origin. Advancements in assessment techniques can likely be made at the cellular and genetic levels because laboratory and field studies indicate these indices are the most sensitive to chemical exposure. Chemical impacts on fish population health would likely occur during reproduction as this process appears vulnerable to chemical exposure.