Use of Non-lethal Techniques to Evaluate Organic Contaminants in Aquatic Ecosystems
Rebecca Heltsley, National Institute of Standards and Technology
7 Apr 2006
The assessment of contaminants in fish traditionally requires that the fish be sacrificed in order to acquire sufficient tissue mass for chemical analysis. However, as regulatory agencies become increasingly reluctant to permit lethal sampling, especially in protected waters or for endangered species, there exists a need to better evaluate fish body burdens. This presentation will provide (1) a brief history of contaminants in aquatic ecosystems and their significance, (2) the utility of the adipose fin, a tissue commonly removed for mark-recapture studies with salmonid species, to serve as a non-lethal tool for investigating organic contaminants in fish, (3) the efficacy of using polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) as a passive sampling device for assessing exposure of fish to waterborne contaminants, and (4) a discussion of future non-lethal sampling techniques.