7365

• UCREFRP Catalog Number: 7365
• Author: Coughlan, D. J. and J. S. Velte
• Title: Dietary Toxicity of Selenium-Contaminated Red Shiners to Striped Bass
• USFW Year: 1989
• USFW - Doc Type: Transactions of the American Fisheries Society
• Copyright Material: YES

404

COUGHLAN AND VELTE

TABLE 2. -Characteristics of control striped bass fed uncontaminated golden shiners and striped bass fed selenium-
contaminated red shiners for 80 d. Values in parentheses represent the percent change during the experiment; N =
10 fish/tank.

Variable

Tank 2

Survival (d)
Number of striped bass providing data
Initial average weight (g)
Final average weight (g)
Initial average condition factor, Kb
Final average condition factor
Fmal selenium concentration in muscle
(}tglg wet weight)

Treatment fish

Control fish

Tank I

12-78
6
220.2
220.9 (0.3)
0.98
0.87 (-II)

80a
10
277.3
386.2 (39)
\.00
1.08 (8)

35-64
7
254.6
26\.9 (3)
0.99
0.91 (-8)

I.\C

3.5

4.0

· No control fish died during the experiment; all remained healthy and were killed at the end of the experiment.
b K = IOs(mean weight, g)/(totallength, mm)3.
C A verage f~~ix striped bass.

tion (Figure 5). Liver structure was similar to that
described by Groman (1982). Glycogen vacuola-
tion (typical of well-fed fish) was also similar to
the descriptions by Groman (1982) for striped bass
and Grizzle and Rogers (1979) for channel catfish.
Striped bass feeding on selenium-laden red shiners
usually showed pronounced liver changes com-
pared to control fish (Figure 5). Abundant round
fat vacuoles, negligible glycogen vacuolation, and
granular basophilic cytoplasm were observed in 9
of 13 livers of treatment striped bass. Eleven livers
exhibited some form of nuclear change (swollen
or degenerate nuclei). Small acidophilic deposits
within hepatocytes were observed in five livers.
However, the occurrence of some treatment striped
bass that had noimalliver structure and glycogen
vacuolation, but that exhibited behavioral symp-
toms of intoxication and impending mortality,
would not implicate the liver as the primary site
of toxicity. Hilton et al. (I980) observed no his-
topathological lesions in livers of rainbow trout
exposed to toxic concentrations of dietary sele-

nium; however, hepatic alterations have been seen
in other studies. Finley (1985) noted central ne-
crosis and extensive hepatocyte degeneration in
bluegills fed selenium-contaminated mayfly
nymphs. Green sunfish exposed to selenium in
Martin Lake, Texas, had swollen hepatocytes and
pyknotic nuclei in areas of destroyed liver archi-
tecture (Sorensen et al. 1983). Lymphocyte infil-
tration also was noted by Sorensen et al. (1984)
for green sunfish from Belews Lake.
The livers of all control and treatment striped
bass had abundant exocrine pancreatic tissue along
the hepatic portal vein and scattered bile ducts.
Pancreatic tissue structure appeared normal, with
numerous zymogen granules.
The trunk kidneys of control striped bass dis-
played normal glomerular and tubular structure
(Figure 6). All striped bass fed selenium-laden red
shiners showed damage in the region of the prox-
imal tubules. Tubule epithelial nuclei were swol-
len, and the lumens often were filled with casts
(sloughed epithelial debris and proteinaceous ma-

TABLE 3.-Selenium concentrations in skeletal muscle of fishes that inhabited selenium-contaminated lakes or
consumed selenium-laden diets.

Se in muscle
(}tglg wet
Species Origin or source of exposure" weight) Reference
Green sunfishb Belews Lake 2 \.4 Sorensen et aI. (1984)
Bluegill Hyco Reservoir 13.0 Sager and Cofield (1984)
i Channel catfish Hyco Reservoir 8.3 Sager and Cofield (1984)
.,
Largemouth bass" Hyco Reservoir 6.7 Sager and Cofield (1984)
Mosquitofish Savannah River Project 9.4 Cherry et aI. (1976)
Bluegill Consumption of Se-laden 6.5 Finley (1985)
mayflies from Belews Lake
Striped bass Consumption of Se-laden red 3.8 This study
shiners from Belews Lake

· Belews Lake and Hyco Reservoir are in North Carolina; Savannah River Project is in South Carolina.
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