Project Information

Title: Effects of Oiled Incubation Substrate on Pink Salmon Reproduction 030476

Project Year and Number: 2003: 030476

Other Fiscal Years and Numbers for this Project: 2002: 02476, 2001: 01476, 2000: 00476, 1999: 99476

Principal Investigator (PI): Ron Heintz (NOAA )

Managing Agency: NOAA

Assisting Personnel: Marie Larsen

Research Location: Little Port Walter, Baranof Island, Southeast Alaska

Restoration Category: Research

Injured Resources Addressed: Pink Salmon, Sediments

Abstract: Populations are maintained through successful reproduction; this study is designed to determine if exposure to oil impairs pink salmon reproduction. This experiment began in the fall of 1998 when pink salmon eggs were incubated in oil contaminated water. Fish that survived exposure were marked and released in the spring of 1999. They reached maturity at sea and returned to spawn in the fall of 2000. Return rates confirmed previous observations of reduced marine survival among exposed fish, but evaluations of offspring (F1) survival rates did not indicate any reproductive impact. The F1 were incubated in clean water until spring 2001 when they were marked and released. They will mature and return to the hatchery in the fall of 2002 and their reproductive ability will be evaluated by generating an F2 generation. A diminished ability to produce the F2 generation represents a genetic effect of oil transmitted to unexposed generations. Such an effect was demonstrated for similarly treated pink salmon in 1997, but corroborating data do not exist. This project is designed to retest that experiment; if diminished reproductive ability is corroborated, it would demonstrate a significant and unanticipated effect of oil pollution.


Proposal: View (113 KB)

Reports:
Final Report: Final Report Not available. For current status, please contact us.

Publications from this Project: None Available