Link to USGS home page.
Publications—Open-File Report

Prepared In Cooperation with the Maine Department of Environmental Protection

Pilot Study of Sublethal Effects on Fish of Pesticides Currently Used and Proposed for Use on Maine Blueberries

By Adria A. Elskus

 

Open-File Report 2007–1110

 

The body of the report is available in PDF Format ( 277 KB)

Abstract

Blueberry pesticides have been detected consistently in some Down East Maine rivers, yet little is known about the sublethal effects of these pesticides on fish early life stages. The Maine blueberry industry is proposing to replace the insecticide ImidanTM (active ingredient phosmet) and the herbicide VelparTM (active ingredient hexazinone), two of the pesticides found in these rivers, with candidate alternatives SpinTor TM (active ingredient spinosad) and Callistso TM (active ingredient mesotrione). Our objective is to evaluate potential sublethal effects of these four formulations before the industry adopts the two candidate alternatives. We exposed zebrafish (Danio rerio) early life stages, from fertilization through larval swim-up, to a range of pesticide concentrations and evaluated their response relative to untreated controls. In this report we provide preliminary data on immune function as well as on parameters in addition to those originally proposed: development and performance fitness. We also provide information on our progress towards optimizing chemical protocols for analyzing the concentration of active ingredient in each of our formulation dosing solutions, another new parameter we added to those originally proposed. Preliminary results indicate that at environmentally realistic concentrations, these pesticides may have no significant effect on innate immunity, development rate or behavior (spontaneous swimming), however further replication is needed to confirm these initial findings. We have also observed some degree of developmental abnormalities in both pesticide-treated and control zebrafish embryos; however, additional replication is underway to determine if these groups differ significantly.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Abstract

Background

Objectives

Materials and Methods

Materials

Zebrafish

Dosing Solutions

Confirmation of Pesticide Dosing Concentrations

Pesticide Exposures

Mortality, Time to Hatch, Developmental Abnormalities

Innate Immune Function

Behavioral Assays

Results of Preliminary Studies on the Effects of Blueberry Pesticides on Fish

Dosing Solution Concentrations

Innate Immune Function

Mortality, Time to Hatch, Developmental Abnormalities

Spontaneous Swimming

Conclusions and Additional Research

References Cited

Figures

1–4. Graphs showing—

  1. Preliminary data on the effects of exposure to single pesticide formulations on the innate immune system of zebrafish embryo-larvae exposed from fertilization through swim-up larvae.
  2. Preliminary data on the effects of exposure to single pesticide formulations on the innate immune system of zebrafish embryo-larvae exposed from fertilization through the swim-up larval stage.
  3. Preliminary data on the effects of exposure to mixtures of pesticide formulations on the innate immune system of zebrafish embryo-larvae exposed from fertilization through the swim-up larval stage.
  4. Preliminary data on single pesticide exposure effects on spontaneous swimming in zebrafish exposed from fertilization through swim-up.

Tables

  1. Preliminary analyses demonstrating that nominal and actual dosing solutions concentrations are similar.
  2. Mean days to hatch for zebrafish exposed to pesticide formulations from fertilization through swim-up larvae.

 

Suggested citation:
Elskus, A.A., 2007, Pilot study of sublethal effects on fish of pesticides currently used and proposed for use on Maine blueberries: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2007-1110, 10 p.

If you have Adobe® Acrobat® or Adobe® Acrobat® Reader® installed on your computer, you may view and print the PDF version of this report. Acrobat Reader, is a free download from Adobe Systems, Inc. Users with disabilities can view information concerning accessibility at access.Adobe.com .


Accessibility FOIA Privacy Policies and Notices

Take Pride in America home page. FirstGov button U.S. Department of the Interior | U.S. Geological Survey
Persistent URL: https://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2007/1110
Page Contact Information: USGS Publishing Network
Page Last Modified: Wednesday, 07-Dec-2016 20:12:44 EST