Wastewater Characterization of Fish Processing Plant Effluents

Effluent samples exhibited a wide range of toxicity in this test. Facility A samples, as well
as samples B-3, C-1, and C-2 were toxic, resulting in ICp estimates of 100 %.
6.2.5 Biological Interpretation
The use of toxicity tests to evaluate the biological toxicity of effluent wastewaters is common
in industrial monitoring and environmental assessment. Toxicity test data complement sample
chemistry by providing information on the effects of the effluent on members of the aquatic
community. Toxicity testing also presents an opportunity to assess the effects of complex
mixtures of contaminants and their bioavailability to organisms in the real world (Chapman,
1989). In order to estimate toxicity at a number of levels within the ecosystem, a battery
approach is often taken to toxicity testing in which several species are tested and a variety of
endpoints are measured. In this case representative species were tested from bacterial, algal,
zooplanktonic, and fish groups. Because each of the test organisms exhibits differing
sensitivity to various components of wastewater, the battery approach provides a much better
evaluation of true effects of the effluent once it discharges into the receiving water
environment.
The toxicity test data summarized previously show several important trends in terms of the acute
and chronic biological effects of the effluent. The data also illustrate some of the inherent
benefits of using a battery of toxicity tests to analyze effluent toxicity. The toxicity test
data show trends in water quality (i.e., dissolved oxygen and hardness) which can be used to help
characterize the effluent and which affect toxicity. There is considerable variability within
and among processing plants in effluent toxicity as well as variation in the response to effluent
samples across tests. These issues are discussed below in more detail.
FREMP 03/21/1994
Fish Processing Plant Effluent 84