The culture and behavior of selected estuarine fish and shellfish in aquaria receiving effluent water from a power plant

Abstract

Sixteen species (2 molluscs, 2 crustaceans, and 12 fishes) were used as biological monitors in flow-through aquaria. The aquaria received effluent from Houston Lighting & Power Company's Cedar Bayou generating station located in Chambers County, Texas. Growth and survival of organisms were monitored in ambient and thermally regulated water (20, 25, and 30 C). Behavior experiments were carried out with several of the monitor species, Cyprinodon variegatus, Mugil cephalus and Mugil curema. Rangia cuneata and Crassostrea virginica survived and grew in the flow-through aquaria under normal conditions; however, a polychaete infestation and high temperatures and extremely low salinities (0 ??/oo) and high temperatures limited the survival of R. cuneata and C. virginica, respectively. C. variegatus, Poecilia latipinna and Gambusia affinis successfully reproduced in the laboratory aquaria. Arius felis, Lagodon rhomboides, Leiostomus xanthurus, Micropogonias undulatus, Pogonias cromis, Sciaenops ocellata, Chaetodipterus faber, Mugil cephalus and Mugil curema survived and grew at ambient temperature and salinity except when epidermal infections, sampling stress, extremely low salinities (0 ??/oo), and gas supersaturation limited survival. White and striped mullet were more resistant to these problems than other species. R. cuneata, C. virginica, L. xanthurus, M. undulatus, C. faber and M. cephalus were analyzed for heavy metals and pesticides and were evaluated according to current Food and Drug Administration (FDA) standards. All organisms were found to be within the established FDA tolerance levels and are therefore considered fit for human consumption. C. variegatus was tested at various sex-ratios to determine whether a particular ratio could maximize the number of young produced. No statistically significant difference was found in the number of young produced; however, population density and sex-ratio significantly increased total adult mortality...