The effects of simulated hydropower turbine rapid decompression on two Neotropical fish species
The effects of simulated hydropower turbine rapid decompression on two Neotropical fish species
Barotrauma is a major cause of injury and mortality of fish as they pass through hydropower turbines. Currentunderstanding of hydropower related barotrauma is biased towards northern temperate and southern subtropical species with single chambered swim bladders, specifically North American and Australian species, respectively. Today, unprecedented hydropower development is taking place in Neotropical regions where many species have complex multi-chambered swim bladder architecture. This study investigated barotrauma in two dualchambered physostomous Neotropical fish (pacu, Piaractus mesopotamicus, and piracanjuba, Brycon orbignyanus) exposed to rapid (< 1 s) decompression at different Ratios of Pressure Change (RPC), using a hypohyperbaric chamber. The incidence and intensity (percentage surface area of organ affected) of injury and physiological and behavioural response (hereafter just response) of each species immediately after decompression was assessed. Twenty-two injury types (e.g. gill haemorrhage and exophthalmia) and eight response categories (e.g. rising to the surface and loss of orientation) were identified and the influence of: 1) species, 2) RPC, and 3) swim bladder rupture on each was quantified. There was considerable interspecific difference with emboli type injuries occurring more frequently in piracanjuba, but injury intensity tending to be higher in pacu. Both swim bladder chambers tended to rupture in piracanjuba but only the anterior chamber in pacu. RPC was
positively correlated with response, incidence and intensity of several injury types for both species with some
injuries occurring at very low RPC (e.g. 50 % probability of swim bladder rupture at 2.2 and 1.75 for piracanjuba
and pacu, respectively). Multiple responses (e.g. loss of orientation) and injuries (e.g. eye haemorrhage) were
correlated with swim bladder rupture suggesting gas venting into the body cavity likely causes secondary injury.
When directly comparing our results with those available in the published literature, both pacu and piracanjuba
appear to be more susceptible to barotrauma than previously studied subtropical and temperate species.
Barotrauma, Fish behaviour, Hypo-hyperbaric chamber, Ratio of pressure change, Swim bladder rupture
Kerr, J.R.
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Castro, A.F.L.
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Melo, N.O.
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Daniels, J.A.
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Holgate, A.
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Dolman, L.A.
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Silva, L.G.M.
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Kemp, P.S.
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8 September 2023
Kerr, J.R.
cfdf2892-19c2-4206-9416-848b2b0f672c
Castro, A.F.L.
78e65db7-a8c4-4eb9-b497-2cc932bddd6d
Melo, N.O.
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Daniels, J.A.
2e982641-df35-412e-8aaa-876d9bec0760
Holgate, A.
cb827aab-f36f-473c-b421-f640645d8531
Dolman, L.A.
08e17396-c283-4f53-9471-8492e708b88f
Silva, L.G.M.
1b630db4-ea28-4afe-90d3-32e067c11a1f
Kemp, P.S.
9e33fba6-cccf-4eb5-965b-b70e72b11cd7
Kerr, J.R., Castro, A.F.L., Melo, N.O., Daniels, J.A., Holgate, A., Dolman, L.A., Silva, L.G.M. and Kemp, P.S.
(2023)
The effects of simulated hydropower turbine rapid decompression on two Neotropical fish species.
Science of the Total Environment, 903, [166770].
(doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.166770).
Abstract
Barotrauma is a major cause of injury and mortality of fish as they pass through hydropower turbines. Currentunderstanding of hydropower related barotrauma is biased towards northern temperate and southern subtropical species with single chambered swim bladders, specifically North American and Australian species, respectively. Today, unprecedented hydropower development is taking place in Neotropical regions where many species have complex multi-chambered swim bladder architecture. This study investigated barotrauma in two dualchambered physostomous Neotropical fish (pacu, Piaractus mesopotamicus, and piracanjuba, Brycon orbignyanus) exposed to rapid (< 1 s) decompression at different Ratios of Pressure Change (RPC), using a hypohyperbaric chamber. The incidence and intensity (percentage surface area of organ affected) of injury and physiological and behavioural response (hereafter just response) of each species immediately after decompression was assessed. Twenty-two injury types (e.g. gill haemorrhage and exophthalmia) and eight response categories (e.g. rising to the surface and loss of orientation) were identified and the influence of: 1) species, 2) RPC, and 3) swim bladder rupture on each was quantified. There was considerable interspecific difference with emboli type injuries occurring more frequently in piracanjuba, but injury intensity tending to be higher in pacu. Both swim bladder chambers tended to rupture in piracanjuba but only the anterior chamber in pacu. RPC was
positively correlated with response, incidence and intensity of several injury types for both species with some
injuries occurring at very low RPC (e.g. 50 % probability of swim bladder rupture at 2.2 and 1.75 for piracanjuba
and pacu, respectively). Multiple responses (e.g. loss of orientation) and injuries (e.g. eye haemorrhage) were
correlated with swim bladder rupture suggesting gas venting into the body cavity likely causes secondary injury.
When directly comparing our results with those available in the published literature, both pacu and piracanjuba
appear to be more susceptible to barotrauma than previously studied subtropical and temperate species.
Text
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Accepted/In Press date: 31 August 2023
e-pub ahead of print date: 1 September 2023
Published date: 8 September 2023
Additional Information:
Funding Information:
We thank students at the Molecular Ecology & Ichthyology Lab, Department of Natural Science (DCNAT), Universidade Federal de São João del-Rei (UFSJ), for assistance with animal husbandry during the experimental period. This research was funded by 1) an Institutional Links 2017 grant, ID 332396528 , under the Newton-Brazil Fund partnership (British Council) (Brazilian funding: FAPEMIG , project ID: CHE-APQ-04822-17, call: CONFAP-British Council) and 2) the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (Reference: EP/N005961/1 ) through the IDEAS Factory Sandpits programme.
Keywords:
Barotrauma, Fish behaviour, Hypo-hyperbaric chamber, Ratio of pressure change, Swim bladder rupture
Identifiers
Local EPrints ID: 482255
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/482255
ISSN: 0048-9697
PURE UUID: 9479e7c6-0d5c-403a-8ee3-80caa39c0940
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Date deposited: 22 Sep 2023 16:34
Last modified: 18 Mar 2024 03:49
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Contributors
Author:
A.F.L. Castro
Author:
N.O. Melo
Author:
J.A. Daniels
Author:
A. Holgate
Author:
L.A. Dolman
Author:
L.G.M. Silva
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