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Integrated spatial health assessment of yellow perch (Perca flavescens) populations from the St. Lawrence River, Quebec, Canada) part A: physiological parameters and pathogen assessment

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Abstract

A multi-disciplinary approach was used to evaluate the health of yellow perch (Perca flavescens) in the St. Lawrence River (Quebec, Canada), which is experiencing a severe population decline in the downstream portion of the river. Physiological parameters, liver alterations, trace metal concentrations, parasite prevalence and abundance, stable isotope composition, and the presence/absence of the viral hemorragic septicemia virus (VHSV) were evaluated in perch collected at six sites along the river: Lake St. François, Lake St. Louis (north and south), Beauregard Island, and Lake St. Pierre (north and south). Trace metal concentrations in surface water were higher in Lake St. Louis and downstream of a major urban wastewater treatment plant discharge, indicating that this effluent was a significant source of Cu, As, Ag, Zn, and Cd. Levels of Pb in surface water exceeded thresholds for the protection of aquatic life in Lake St. Louis and were negatively correlated with body condition index in this lake. In Lake St. Pierre, Cu, Ag, and Cd bioaccumulated significantly in perch liver and lower body condition index and greater liver damage were observed compared to upstream sites. Parasite analyses indicated a higher abundance of metacercariae of the trematodes Apophallus brevis and Diplostomum spp. in Lake St. Louis, and VHSV was not detected in the liver of yellow perch for all studied sites. Overall, results suggested that the global health of yellow perch from Lake St. Pierre is lower compared to upstream studied sites, which could contribute to the documented population collapse at this site.

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Abbreviations

BI:

Beauregard Island

LLI:

Liver lesion index

LSF:

Lake St. François

LSL-N:

Lake St. Louis North

LSL-S:

Lake St. Louis South

LSP-N:

Lake St. Pierre North

LSP-S:

Lake St. Pierre South

PAH:

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons

PBDEs:

Polybrominated biphenyl ethers

PCBs:

Polychlorinated biphenyls

PFAS:

Perfluoroalkyl substances

SLR:

St. Lawrence River

VHSV:

Viral hemorragic septicemia virus

WWTP:

Wastewater treatment plant

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to acknowledge Kyle Garver and Laura Hawley from Fisheries and Oceans Canada’s Aquatic Animal Health Section for providing VHSV-positive controls and for the substantial help in the qRT-PCR protocol setup. Special help was provided by Pierre Gagnon at Environment Canada for statistical analyses; Michel Arseneau, David Sanchez, Nicolas Auclair, Rémi Bacon, and local fishermen during field sampling; Mélanie Douville, Sophie Trépanier, Xavier Bordeleau, and Patrice Turcotte in the laboratory; and François Boudreault for the map. This study was funded by Environment Canada’s Strategic Technology Application of Genomics in the Environment (STAGE) program and support from the St. Lawrence Action Plan and the Ministère des Forêts, de la Faune et des Parcs.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Environment and Climate Change Canada, Aquatic Contaminants Research Division, Water Science and Technology Directorate, 105 McGill Street, Montreal, QC, H2Y 2E7, Canada

    Maeva Giraudo, Audrey Bruneau, Andrée D. Gendron, Martin Pilote, David J. Marcogliese, Christian Gagnon & Magali Houde

  2. Ministère des Forêts, de la Faune et des Parcs, Direction de la gestion de la faune de la Mauricie et du Centre-du-Québec, 100, rue Laviolette, bureau 207, Trois-Rivières, QC, G9A 5S9, Canada

    Philippe Brodeur

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  1. Maeva Giraudo
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  2. Audrey Bruneau
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  6. David J. Marcogliese
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Correspondence to Maeva Giraudo.

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Giraudo, M., Bruneau, A., Gendron, A.D. et al. Integrated spatial health assessment of yellow perch (Perca flavescens) populations from the St. Lawrence River, Quebec, Canada) part A: physiological parameters and pathogen assessment. Environ Sci Pollut Res 23, 18073–18084 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-016-7002-9

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