Low Concentrations of Contaminants in an Invasive Cyprinid, the Rudd, in a Great Lakes Area of Concern

• Published in: Bulletin of environmental contamination and toxicology 2014-11, Vol.93 (5), p.567-573
• Main Authors: Kapuscinski, Kevin L, Farrell, John M, Paterson, Gordon, Wilkinson, Michael A, Skinner, Lawrence C, Richter, Wayne, Gudlewski, Anthony J
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Agnatha. Pisces; Aldrin; Animal, plant and microbial ecology; Animals; Applied ecology; Aquatic life; Aquatic Pollution; Biological and medical sciences; biomass; Chemical residues; Contaminants; Cyprinidae; Cyprinidae - metabolism; DDT (pesticide); detection limit; diet; Earth and Environmental Science; Ecotoxicology; Ecotoxicology, biological effects of pollution; Effects of pollution and side effects of pesticides on vertebrates; Environment; Environmental Chemistry; Environmental Health; Environmental Monitoring; fish; Food Chain; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Great Lakes Region; Heptachlor; Hexachlorobenzene; Insecticides; Introduced Species; Invasive species; Lakes; mercury; Mirex; Nonnative species; Organic Chemicals - metabolism; PCB; Pollution; Polychlorinated biphenyls; Rivers; Scardinius erythrophthalmus; Soil Science & Conservation; Toxicology; Trophic levels; trophic relationships; Waste Water Technology; Water Management; Water Pollutants, Chemical - metabolism; Water pollution; Water Pollution Control
• ISSN: 0007-4861; 1432-0800
• DOI: 10.1007/s00128-014-1325-3

The invasive, omnivorous rudd Scardinius erythrophthalmus is abundant in the upper Niagara River, a Great Lakes Area of Concern. Invasive species can alter trophic and contaminant pathways, but complex ontogenetic and seasonal diet shifts by rudds make it difficult to predict their chemical burdens relative to other fishes. We quantified concentrations of chemical residues in rudds and compared them to six fish species from various trophic levels. Rudds contained low concentrations of total dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (mean = 0.02 μg/g), Hg (mean = 0.03 μg/g), and polychlorinated biphenyls (mean = 0.06 μg/g); these concentrations were among the lowest for all species examined. Concentrations of aldrin, heptachlor, hexachlorobenzene, total hexachlorocyclohexanes, mirex, and total chlordanes were less than the method detection limit for all rudds examined. If reducing rudd biomass is determined to be beneficial, resource managers could consider targeted harvest, given the low concentrations of contaminant in rudds and their susceptibility to capture.