Cardiac injury and reduced growth in Pacific herring exposed to urban stormwater runoff
Presentation Abstract
Pacific herring (Clupea pallasii) are a keystone species that spawn adhesive eggs on intertidal and shallow subtidal substrates. This nearshore spawning places sensitive life history stages (embryos and larvae) in close proximity to land-based non-point source pollution such as urban stormwater runoff. Untreated urban runoff is chemically complex and highly toxic to aquatic life, including freshwater fish and invertebrates. However, very little is known about the impacts of urban runoff on nearshore marine fish. To examine the impacts of stormwater runoff on forage fish embryonic development, we exposed herring embryos to 0, 12, 25, or 50% stormwater runoff beginning just prior to the onset of a visible heartbeat (5 dpf) through hatching (11 dpf). Preliminary results indicate that stormwater exposures caused significant reductions in larval length and greater egg yolk area, consistent with a failure to mobilize embryonic energy stores (yolk). In addition, herring exposed to stormwater runoff exhibited cardiac injury including both functional (e.g., bradycardia, contractility) and morphological (e.g., increased atrium area) heart defects. The observed effects are consistent with the known cardiotoxicity of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) to fish embryos and could result in delayed adverse outcomes such as reduced cardiorespiratory fitness and subsequent mortality.
Session Title
Advances in the Understanding of Drivers of Change and Potential Conservation Actions for Pacific Herring in the Salish Sea
Conference Track
SSE11: Species and Food Webs
Conference Name
Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference (2018 : Seattle, Wash.)
Document Type
Event
SSEC Identifier
SSE11-583
Start Date
6-4-2018 2:00 PM
End Date
6-4-2018 2:15 PM
Type of Presentation
Oral
Genre/Form
conference proceedings; presentations (communicative events)
Contributing Repository
Digital content made available by University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University.
Subjects – Topical (LCSH)
Pacific herring--Spawning--Salish Sea (B.C. and Wash.); Pacific herring--Health--Salish Sea (B.C. and Wash.); Runoff--Environmental aspects--Salish Sea (B.C. and Wash.); Fishes--Diseases--Salish Sea (B.C. and Wash.); Heart--Abnormalities--Salish Sea (B.C. and Wash.)
Geographic Coverage
Salish Sea (B.C. and Wash.)
Rights
This resource is displayed for educational purposes only and may be subject to U.S. and international copyright laws. For more information about rights or obtaining copies of this resource, please contact University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University, Bellingham, WA 98225-9103, USA (360-650-7534; heritage.resources@wwu.edu) and refer to the collection name and identifier. Any materials cited must be attributed to the Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference Records, University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University.
Type
Text
Language
English
Format
application/pdf
Cardiac injury and reduced growth in Pacific herring exposed to urban stormwater runoff
Pacific herring (Clupea pallasii) are a keystone species that spawn adhesive eggs on intertidal and shallow subtidal substrates. This nearshore spawning places sensitive life history stages (embryos and larvae) in close proximity to land-based non-point source pollution such as urban stormwater runoff. Untreated urban runoff is chemically complex and highly toxic to aquatic life, including freshwater fish and invertebrates. However, very little is known about the impacts of urban runoff on nearshore marine fish. To examine the impacts of stormwater runoff on forage fish embryonic development, we exposed herring embryos to 0, 12, 25, or 50% stormwater runoff beginning just prior to the onset of a visible heartbeat (5 dpf) through hatching (11 dpf). Preliminary results indicate that stormwater exposures caused significant reductions in larval length and greater egg yolk area, consistent with a failure to mobilize embryonic energy stores (yolk). In addition, herring exposed to stormwater runoff exhibited cardiac injury including both functional (e.g., bradycardia, contractility) and morphological (e.g., increased atrium area) heart defects. The observed effects are consistent with the known cardiotoxicity of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) to fish embryos and could result in delayed adverse outcomes such as reduced cardiorespiratory fitness and subsequent mortality.
