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s p ecies, or h ow s u ch ch a r a ct er is t ics m ay, in t u r n , b e u s ed t o m on it or w a t er q u a lit y (H ellaw ell, 1986). Ma n y fa ct or s a s socia t ed w it h p op u la t ion s ca n b e u sed t o a s sess en v i-r on m en t a l q u a lit y a n d t h es e m ay p i-r ov id e t h e b a sis for n ew m on it or in g t ech n iq u es. For exa m p le, p op u la t ion s m ay b e ch a r a ct er is ed by t h eir a bu n d a n ce, s ize s t r u ct u r e or t h e r a t es a t w h ich gr ow t h a n d m or t a lit y occu r, w h ils t a s sess m en t s of fecu n d it y a n d in t er p op -u la t ion m or p h ologica l va r ia t ion m ay a lso r evea l d iffer en t ia l r es p on s es t o w a t er q u a lit y (F igu r e 1).
E n v ir on m en t a l con d it ion s w h ich im p a ir p op u la t ion p er for m a n ce m ea su r em en t s su ch a s gr ow t h , d evelop m en t or r e p r od u ct ive su c-cess, m ay b ecom e ev id en t w h en p op u la t ion s a r e exa m in ed . T h e t h r ees p in e st ick leb a ck Ga s t er ost eu s a cu lea t u s h a s b een u s ed a s a b ioa ssay in t h is r esp ect (Ba r n es, 1992) a n d ecot oxicologica l d a t a fr om fi eld sit u a t ion s r e p r esen t in g p ollu t ed a n d u n p ollu t ed en v i-r on m en t s su ggest t h a t gi-r ow t h i-r a t es a i-r e h igh er, a n d m or t a lit y r a t es low er, in p op u la -t ion s of -t h is -t es -t sp ecies a -t u n p ollu -t ed si-t es, w h ilst p op u la t ion a bu n d a n ce d a t a sh ow
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sign ifi ca n t ly m or e st ick leb a ck s a t sit es w it h h igh w a t er q u a lit y. F igu r e 2 s h ow s t h e r ela -t ive a bu n d a n ce of s-t ick leb a ck s collec-t ed over a p er iod of 19 m on t h s fr om t h r ee d iffer en t p op u la t ion s. T h e sa m p lin g s it es r e p r es en t ed exa m p les of u n p ollu t ed (F in h a m Br ook ), in t er m ed ia t e (River N en e) a n d gr os sly p ol-lu t ed (River Sow e) en v ir on m en t s a n d Ta ble I sh ow s r eleva n t m on t h ly w a t er q u a lit y d a t a u s in g “con ven t ion a l” p h y sicoch em ica l m ea su r em en t s. Rela t ive a bu n d a n ce w a s m ea -su r ed in t er m s of ca t ch p er u n it effor t , in t h is ca s e t h e aver a ge n u m b er of s t ick leb a ck s ca u gh t p er m in u t e of s a m p lin g effor t . T h e gr a p h clea r ly sh ow s gr ea t er n u m b er s of st ick -leb a ck s ca u gh t fr om t h e “clea n ” a n d in t er m e-d ia t e q u a lit y s it es. Obv iou s ly, t h er e w ill h ave b een m a n y ecologica l fa ct or s a t wor k d et er -m in in g t h e a bu n d a n ce of t h ese fi sh b esid es levels of p ollu t ion , n ot lea s t sea son a l life-cycle ch a n ges. T h e d a t a d o, h ow ever,
d em on st r a t e t h e t y p e of in for m a t ion w h ich m ay b e u sed t o ch a r a ct er ise t h e ecologica l con seq u en ces of p ollu t ion a n d s h ow som e con sis t en cy of va r ia t ion a cr oss t h e t em p or a l sca le n ot a bly d u r in g 1991.
Len gt h -fr eq u en cy in for m a t ion w a s a lso collect ed on a r e gu la r b a sis fr om t h ese sit es a n d u sed a s a n in p u t for com p u t er -a ssist ed t ech n iq u es for es t im a t in g gr ow t h a n d m or t a lit y. Su ch t ech n iq u es a r e w id ely u s ed in fi sh -er ies m a n a gem en t a n d a r e n ow h igh ly d evel-op ed (Ba sson et a l., 1988), t h eir a d a p t a t ion a n d a p p lica t ion ca n n ow b e u t ilis ed t o h elp a ssess t h e p op u la t ion r esp on ses of fi sh t o w a t er q u a lit y ch a n ge. F ish a r e p ot en t ia lly va lu a ble “b io-in d ica t or s” of w a t er q u a lit y a s a con seq u en ce of t h eir h igh t r op h ic p osit ion a n d d ir ect econ om ic a n d r ecr ea t ion a l va lu e. T h e effect s of p ollu t a n t s on fi sh p op u la t ion s t h er efor e h ave im m ed ia t e a n d r ecogn isa ble im p lica t ion s for h u m a n s w h et h er t h r ou gh a cu t e sit u a t ion s su ch a s on e-off sp ect a cu la r fi sh k ills or lon g t er m ch r on ic effect s su ch a s d et er ior a t in g gr ow t h a n d m or t a lit y r a t es.
T h e t h r eesp in e st ick leb a ck m ay b e a p a r t ic-u la r ly ic-u sefic-u l t est sp ecies b eca ic-u s e it p ossesses a n u m b er of ot h er s u it a ble ch a r a ct er ist ics, in clu d in g a w id esp r ea d a n d a bu n d a n t d ist r ib -u t ion com b in ed w it h a t oler a n ce of a r a n ge of p ollu t a n t s (Solb e, 1973). F u r t h er m or e, t ech -n iq u es for lo-n g t er m r ea r i-n g a -n d m a i-n t e-n a e-n ce of t h is s p ecies w it h ie-n la b or a t or y ee-n v i-r on m en t s a i-r e w ell est a blish ed a n d t h i-r eesp in e st ick leb a ck s a r e a m on gst t h e m ost in t en -sively st u d ied n on -com m er cia l fi s h , en su r in g ext en s ive a u t ecologica l in for m a t ion is ava il-a ble. Reseil-a r ch is n ow con t in u in g in t o t h e d evelop m en t of a t ech n iq u e w h ich u t ilises st ick leb a ck p op u la t ion in for m a t ion for en v i-r on m en t a l a sses sm en t p u i-r p os es (E coP i-r oject s, 1996).
Table I
Wate r quality data fo r s ampling s ite s
O2 Water Ca2+ Total
concentration Conductivity temperature concentration alkalinity
pH (mgl–1) ohms–1x10–6 (°C) (mgl–1) (meql–1)
Finham Brook 7 .2 8 ; 0 .1 8 1 1 0 .0 6 ; 2 .5 7 2 0 9 .9 ; 5 4 .7 1 1 .0 3 ; 4 .1 3 5 0 .5 ; 2 0 .5 0 4 .9 1 ; 0 .1 7
(1 6 ) (1 6 ) (1 5 ) (1 6 ) (6 ) (6 )
River Sowe 6 .7 3 ; 0 .1 8 9 6 .0 5 ; 1 .7 4 4 1 5 .1 ; 8 8 .4 1 5 .5 3 ; 3 .9 1 6 6 .5 ; 8 .4 2 3 .5 0 ; 0 .3 7
(1 6 ) (1 5 ) (1 5 ) (1 6 ) (6 ) (6 )
River Nene 7 .0 6 ; 0 .2 4 4 7 .7 0 ; 2 .3 7 3 2 1 2 .3 ; 4 2 .1 1 2 .3 0 ; 3 .8 3 7 7 .2 ; 1 9 .0 2 3 .1 3 ; 0 .2 4
(1 6 ) (1 4 ) (1 6 ) (1 6 ) (6 ) (6 )
Note:(mean; sd (number of samples))
4
3 .5
3
2 .5
2
1 .5
1
0 .5
0
J J A S O N J F M A M J J A S O N D
1 9 9 0 / 1 9 9 1
Key
FINHAM BROOK RIVER SOWE RIVER NENE 1 Figure 2
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E n v ir on m en t a l t oxicologist s r eq u ir e m et h -od s w h ich a r e sen sit ive, ea s ily u n d er t a k en a n d w h ich a llow p r ed ict ion s t o b e m a d e a b ou t t h e lon g t er m ecologica l im p a ct of p a r t icu la r t oxica n t s (Ma lt by a n d Ca low, 1989). P op u la -t ion in for m a -t ion m ay p r ov id e -t h e b a sis of s u ch t ech n iq u es w h ich a r e ca p a ble of p r ov id -in g ecologica lly r eleva n t -in for m a t ion a b ou t p ollu t ion im p a ct s. In a d d it ion , su ch t ech -n iq u es cou ld a lso offer p r a ct ica l a dva -n t a ges, in clu d in g s t r a igh t for w a r d s a m p lin g r eq u ir em en t s a n d t h e n eed for on ly s iem p le p r ocess -in g of b iologica l m a t er ia l, w it h con s eq u en t fi n a n cia l im p lica t ion s for r es ou r ce m a n a ger s.
T h e a dva n t a ges of in cor p or a t in g a b iologi-ca l com p on en t in w a t er q u a lit y m on it or in g p r ogr a m m es a r e n ow w id ely a ck n ow led ged a n d t h e ca ll for a s t a t u t or y r eq u ir em en t for t h e in t e gr a t ion of b iologica l t ech n iq u es in m on it or in g p r oced u r es is ga in in g m om en -t u m . T h es e a dva n -t a ges cen -t r e on -t h e ecologi-ca l r eleva n ce, ecologi-ca p a cit y for s en s it iv it y a n d “t im e-in t e gr a t ed ” n a t u r e of in for m a t ion w h ich is ob t a in ed u s in g b ioin d ica t or t ech -n iq u es a -n d w h ich m ay -n ot b e ava ila ble fr om s t a n d a r d ch em ica l a ss es sm en t s. As m or e a n d m or e s cien t ist s, w a t er r es ou r ce m a n a ger s a n d u s er s of a ll t y p es r ecogn is e t h ese a dva n -t a ges -t h e p r ess u r e on p olicy -m a k er s -t o en su r e fu ll exp loit a t ion of a p p r op r ia t e b iologica l m on it or in g t ech n iq u es w ill in ev it a bly gr ow.
As con cer n in cr ea ses a b ou t t h e lon g t er m im p a ct of ch r on ic levels of p ollu t a n t s in r iver ecosy s t em s, t h e n eed for m et h od s w h ich a r e of a d eq u a t e sen sit iv it y t o m ea su r e s u ch effect s h a s b ecom e cr it ica l. T h e exp loit a t ion of s u b -let h a l r es p on ses of a q u a t ic or ga n ism s cou ld p r ov id e t h e b a sis for b iologica l m on i-t or in g i-t ech n iq u es w h ich a r e ca p a ble of p r o-v id in g t h e n ecessa r y in for m a t ion a b ou t ch r on ic p ollu t ion im p a ct s a t ecologica l levels.
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