The Effect of Contaminated Prey on Feeding, Activity, and Growth of Young-of-the-Year Bluefish, Pomatomus saltatrix, in the Laboratory

• DOI: 10.1007/s12237-010-9292-3
• Publication Date: 2010-04-26T16:04:21Z
• Authors: Allison C. Candelmo; Ashok Deshpande; Bruce Dockum; Peddrick Weis; Judith S. Weis
• Keywords: Mercury

Young-of-the-year (YOY) bluefish, Pomatomus saltatrix, reside in some contaminated estuaries of the mid-Atlantic bight during their early life history, and as a result of this exposure, they may bioaccumulate high levels of contaminants, including polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), pesticides, and methyl mercury. Young-of-the-year bluefish from the Tuckerton, NJ, area of Great Bay (TK) were fed daily in a laboratory with common prey fish, menhaden, and mummichog from two sites: TK (reference) or Hackensack River (HR) (contaminated). Bluefish fed HR prey and the HR prey themselves had significantly elevated concentrations of PCBs, pesticides, and total mercury compared to TK counterparts. The bluefish fed contaminated prey for 4 months displayed significantly reduced feeding, spontaneous activity, and growth compared to the bluefish fed TK prey. Alterations of bluefish behavior and growth from exposure to contaminants may have detrimental effects on migration, overwinter survival, and recruitment success.