Gladstone Fish Health Investigation 2011 - 2012 - Western Basin ...

Contaminants in Tissue of o Fish and Crabs Collectedin the Gladstone Area3. Methods3.1.Sample CollectionSamples were collected using methods outlined in DAFF (2012). Although A many specimens werecollected at each site,only five from each sampling round were sent for tissuee residue analysis(Table 2). Apart from Awoonga Dam where sampling only occurred once, andd Bundaberg whereno grinner were caught in Trip 1, 10 samples were submitted from each site (over the two trips).Fish and crabs were classed as healthy or diseased based on externally visible criteria.Fish/sharks were selected as unhealthy based on the presence of:• lesions andskin discoloration;• eye lesions;• Swelling orunusual mass on the abdomen;• Signs of emaciation (i.e. large head, thin body, poor body condition);• Haemorrhage from gills or vent.Crabs weree selected as unhealthy based onn the presence of:••••Rust spots;Shell erosion;Foulingof the shell;Lost appendages.Diseased fish were deliberately selected for, to be roughly 50 per cent of the sample populationwhere possible. This bias was addressed in the statistical analysiss (Appendices A and B).Table 2 – Number of samples fromeach site used for tissue residuee analysisSiteSpeciescollected per tripMud CrabBarramundiGrinnerTrip 1 Tripp 2Trip 1Trip T 2Trip 1Trip 2AwoongaDamUpper Boyne River1Port Development5Area 1HamiltonPoint 1The Narrows 15Gladstone Trawl 1Fitzroy River 25Bundaberg 25555555555555555555Note: 1 Denotes Gladstone sites, 2 denotes reference sites.Page 5