The physiological impairment of free-ranging brown trout exposed to metals in the Clark Fork River, Montana

Tissue metal accumulation and physiological responses were measured in brown trout (Salmo trutta) collected from two sites on the Clark Fork River, Montana, and two reference sites to determine the health status of the resident fish population. Concentrations of metals in tissues, products of lipid peroxidation, and microscopic Cu inclusions were significantly higher in fish collected from the upper Clark Fork River site than in fish from reference sites. Metallothionein concentrations were higher in the livers of fish from the upper Clark Fork River than in those of fish from reference sites. The health of the fish population in the upper Clark Fork River is probably impaired because of previously reported elevated concentrations of metals including As, Cd, Cu, Pb, and Zn in the surface water and aquatic invertebrates in the upper Clark Fork River. The high concentrations of metals in the surface waters and sediments of the Clark Fork River are typical of rivers in the intermountain western United States where discharges from mining activities have occurred since the late 1800s. Thus, our findings can be used as a guide for researchers throughout the intermountain western United States who may investigate similar field conditions.