Search

The Delta Smelt is a largely zooplanktivorous, endangered fish endemic to the San Francisco Estuary (the estuary). High flows increase the availability of fresh and brackish water habitat for Delta Smelt, but also may mobilize contaminants, potentially increasing toxicological stress. Here, we examine the association between contaminants and Delta Smelt health across contrasting water year types and flow-related management actions. Our study spanned the fall season of three years: 1 dry year (2018) bracketed by 2 wet years (2017 and 2019) and coincided with several management actions meant to benefit Delta Smelt. We collected field water from six sites in the estuary that encompass the freshwater and low-salinity habitat of Delta Smelt and analyzed the water for contaminant concentrations. After a 96-hour exposure to the field water, we assessed cultured Delta Smelt survival and the histopathological condition of the gill and liver. Insecticides, particularly fipronil metabolites, were the most prevalent contaminants detected in 2017 and 2018, and a variety of contaminants associated with the rice harvest were detected in 2019. No acute toxicity was observed during any exposure, but we observed negative effects in the livers of Delta Smelt exposed to agricultural water from the Toe Drain and Cache Slough during a 2019 pulse flow action, which coincided with elevated detections and concentrations of organic pesticides. Other noteworthy sub-lethal effects, likely occurring in response to contaminant mixtures, included severe gill lesions in Delta Smelt exposed to Decker Island water in 2019. In the drier year of 2018, lesions were generally mild or absent. Thus, the trade-offs between increased habitat availability and contaminant loading may provide one explanation for why Delta Smelt abundance does not consistently respond positively to outflow. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is an extensive literature establishing, validating, and quantifying a wide range of responses of fishes to fasting. Our study complements this work by comparing fed and unfed treatments of hatchery-raised Delta Smelt (Hypomesus transpacificus)—an imperiled fish that is endemic to the San Francisco Estuary and its tributaries in California, USA—across a diverse suite of endpoints over a two-month time series. The experiment was conducted at 15.9°C, and individuals were sampled at 12 time points as starvation became increasingly severe. We found that hepatosomatic index and condition factor were relatively sensitive to starvation, becoming significantly depressed at Day 4 and 7, respectively. Histological analysis of liver showed elevated cytoplasmic inclusion bodies at Day 7, followed by increased glycogen depletion, single cell necrosis, and hydropic vacuolar degeneration at Day 14, 21, and 28, respectively. Of four antioxidants measured, glutathione decreased at Day 4, superoxide dismutase increased at Day 14, catalase increased at Day 56, and glutathione peroxidase was not affected by starvation. The net result was a ~2-fold increase in lipid peroxidation (malondialdehyde) in fasted fish that was highly inconsistent through time. RNA to DNA ratio and triglycerides in muscle were relatively insensitive to starvation, only consistently decreasing with fasting after mortality began increasing in the 'No Feeding' treatment, at Day 21. Together, these results suggest that Delta Smelt mobilize hepatic energy stores far more rapidly than lipids in muscle when subjected to fasting, leading to rapid atrophy of liver and the development of cytoplasmic inclusion bodies—possibly autophagosomes—in hepatocytes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The herbicides glyphosate, imazamox and fluridone are herbicides, with low toxicity towards fish and invertebrates, which are applied to waterways to control invasive aquatic weeds. However, the effects of these herbicides on natural isolates of phytoplankton and cyanobacteria are unknown. Three species of microalgae found in the San Francisco Estuary (SFE)/Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta (Delta) (Microcystis aeruginosa, Chlamydomonas debaryana, and Thalassiosira pseudonana) were exposed to the three herbicides at a range of concentrations in 96-well plates for 5–8 days. All three algal species were the most sensitive to fluridone, with IC50 of 46.9, 21, and 109 µg L−1 for M. aeruginosa, T. pseudonana and C. debaryana, respectively. Imazamox inhibited M. aeruginosa and T. pseudonana growth at 3.6 × 104 µg L−1 or higher, and inhibited C. debaryana growth at 1.0 × 105 µg L−1 or higher. Glyphosate inhibited growth in all species at ca. 7.0 × 104 µg L−1 or higher. Fluridone was the only herbicide that inhibited the microalgae at environmentally relevant concentrations in this study and susceptibility to the herbicide depended on the species. Thus, the application of fluridone may affect cyanobacteria and phytoplankton community composition in water bodies where it is applied. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Delta smelt (Hypomesus transpacificus), an annual fish endemic to the San Francisco Estuary (SFE), is imperiled. One recovery strategy is to restore tidal wetlands, thereby increasing productivity and prey abundance. However, the link between tidal wetlands and foraging of delta smelt is not yet established. Using GIS, we quantified the area of tidal wetlands (km2) within a 2-km radius around sampling stations from which 1380 delta smelt were collected over 4 years (2011–2015). We quantified stomach fullness, a metric of foraging success, for each fish and regressed it against tidal wetland area, turbidity, water temperature, and other factors known to influence foraging success of delta smelt. Stomach fullness increased with both increasing tidal wetland area and increasing water temperature and was reduced at turbidities > 80 NTU. Model estimates show that stomach fullness increased twofold from the minimum (0 km2) to the maximum (4.89 km2) tidal wetland area. Of this increase, 60% was due to increased predation on larval fish, while 40% was due to increased predation on zooplankton. Delta smelt collected from areas with the highest tidal wetland area were six times more likely to have a larval fish in their guts than those collected from areas with the lowest. Thus, tidal wetland appears to confer substantial benefits to the foraging success of delta smelt, mainly via increased predation on larval fish. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]