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SUITABILITY OF CUNNER (TAUTOGOLABRUS ADSPERSUS) FOR INVESTIGATING REPRODUCTIVE EFFECTS OF ENVIRONMENTAL CONTAMINANTS
Citation:
GutjahrGobell, R, M Huber, D B. Horowitz, G Zaroogian, AND L J. Mills. SUITABILITY OF CUNNER (TAUTOGOLABRUS ADSPERSUS) FOR INVESTIGATING REPRODUCTIVE EFFECTS OF ENVIRONMENTAL CONTAMINANTS. Presented at 6th Annual Meeting of the North Atlantic Chapter of the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, Newport, RI, April 14-15, 2000.
Description:
Cunner (Tautogolabrus adspersus) are being studied at our laboratory as a model species to determine the effects of environmental contaminants, such as endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs), on estuarine fish populations. Cunner are easily obtainable and are amenable to laboratory holding. In addition, they are daily spawners and are large enough to have their blood sampled repeatedly for plasma hormone and vitellogenin concentration (VTG). We investigated several methods. (fish morphology, gonad biopsy, stripping gametes) to determine cunner sex nondestructively. Stripping ripe fish was the only reliable method to separate males and females. A laboratory holding system was developed to accommodate cunner's vertical spawning run and to collect eggs produced. Results indicated that sex ratio affects cunner reproduction in the laboratory. Significant mortality of male and female adults was observed at 3 :2 and 3 :3 . The percentage of viable eggs was significantly lower at 1 : 1 and 1 :3 . The highest egg production was observed at 2 3 . Cunner from a field reference site were sampled (4/99- 12/99) and gonadosomatic (GSI), hepatosomatic (HSI) indices, and VTG were determined. GSI, HSI, and VTG indicated that cunner are synchronized in their spawning. The laboratory and field observations made in this study characterized both the culture and reproduction of cunner and indicated that cunner could become a useful sentinel species for environmental EDCs.