Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item:
https://hdl.handle.net/11681/6433| Title: | Effects of Black Rock Harbor dredged material on the scope for growth of the blue mussel 'Mytilus Edulis' after laboratory and field exposures |
| Authors: | Environmental Research Laboratory (Narragansett, R.I.) United States. Environmental Protection Agency. Field Verification Program (Aquatic Disposal) Nelson, William G. Phelps, Donald K. Galloway, Walter B. Rogerson, Peter F. Pruell, Richard J. |
| Keywords: | Marine pollution Aquatic pollution Black Rock Harbor Bridgeport Connecticut Dredging Dredging spoil Dredged materials Water quality Blue mussel Mytilus edulis Environmental effects |
| Publisher: | Environmental Laboratory (U.S.) Engineer Research and Development Center (U.S.) |
| Description: | Technical Report Abstract: A study was conducted to investigate residue-effect relationships between tissue residue concentrations and the scope for growth of the blue mussel, Mytilus edulis, after exposure in the laboratory and the field to dredged material from Black Rock Harbor (BRH), Bridgeport, Conn. A second objective included field verification of the laboratory results. A laboratory system was used to provide a constant exposure concentration ranging from 0 to 10 mg/𝓁 of suspended BRH sediment. Residue concentrations in mussels, particularly stable compounds such as polychlorinated biphenyls, were found to be closely related to exposure concentration. Scope for growth, clearance rates, and shell growth measurements were inversely related to BRH exposure and subsequent tissue residues, with concentrations as low as 1.5 mg/𝓁 of BRH material causing negative biological effects. In the field, mussels were placed along a transect from the center of the disposal mound to a clean area distant from the disposal mound. Exposure estimates indicated that the maximum concentration of BRH material occurred during the disposal operation, after which both exposure and tissue residue concentrations decreased dramatically. Of the measurements made at the four field stations during the course of the study, a reduction in the scope for growth of mussels, attributable to BRH material, was observed only once. The estimated concentration of BRH suspended material (0.7 to 0.2 mg/𝓁) during that collection, 8 weeks postdisposal, was very close to the lowest concentration affecting the scope for growth in the laboratory experiments (1.5 mg/𝓁). |
| Rights: | Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited. |
| URI: | http://hdl.handle.net/11681/6433 |
| Appears in Collections: | Technical Report |
Files in This Item:
| File | Description | Size | Format | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TR-D-87-7.pdf | 21.25 MB | Adobe PDF |  View/Open |