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Changes in Salmonid Communities Associated with Pesticide Runoff Events

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Abstract

Two agricultural runoff events involving the pesticide azinphos-methyl occurred in July 2002 on the Wilmot River, Prince Edward Island, Canada, resulting in the death of thousands of fish. The fish communities from three sites on this river had been sampled in 2001, permitting comparisons of brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) and rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) populations before and after the events. Samples taken immediately after the runoff events suggested that brook trout suffered higher mortality than rainbow trout. Young-of-the-year fish were more affected than older age classes for both species. Sampling in 2003, a year after the pesticide runoff events, revealed salmonid communities that were still skewed towards rainbow trout, and a decrease in the 1+ age class density (2002’s young of the year) at affected sites. These results suggest a differential effect of the pesticide azinphos-methyl on salmonid species and age classes under natural conditions, and a subsequent change in population and community structure. The possibility of these pesticide runoff events selecting for rainbow trout, an exotic species, is a consideration in management of agriculturally impacted rivers.

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Acknowledgments

We thank all those who helped with field collection: Carrie Jardine, Erin Duffy, Eddie Francis, Nick Gautreau, Ben Moore, Melissa Abbott, Nancy Beaton, Todd Dupuis, Craig Durant, Rachael Eedy, Bonnie Gillis, Floyd Gormley, Nick Gormley, Doug Holdway, Neil Mater, and Lisa Purcell. The original funding for this project was provided by the PEI Department of Fisheries, Aquaculture and Environment. In-kind support was provided by the PEI Department of Agriculture and Forestry. Personal support was provided by an NSERC PGS-A, as well as the Canadian Council for University Women Margaret MacMillan Pratt Post-Graduate Scholarship in the Sciences. Additional funding came from the Olin Fellowhip provided by the Atlantic Salmon Federation and an NSERC Discovery Grant awarded to D. Holdway and K. Teather. This research was approved by the University of Prince Edward Island Animal Care Committee.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Canadian Rivers Institute, Department of Biology, University of New Brunswick, 100 Tucker Park Rd., PO Box 5050, E2L 4L5, Saint John, NB, Canada

    KAREN L. GORMLEY

  2. Department of Biology, University of Prince Edward Island,  ,  ,  

    KEVIN L. TEATHER & DARYL L. GUIGNION

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  1. KAREN L. GORMLEY
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  2. KEVIN L. TEATHER
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Correspondence to KAREN L. GORMLEY.

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GORMLEY, K.L., TEATHER, K.L. & GUIGNION, D.L. Changes in Salmonid Communities Associated with Pesticide Runoff Events. Ecotoxicology 14, 671–678 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10646-005-0017-5

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