Developmental toxicity of selenium to Dolly Varden char (Salvelinus malma)

Gametes were collected from Dolly Varden char (Salvelinus malma) from waterbodies in a region exposed to mining-related selenium (Se) releases in British Columbia, Canada. Fertilized eggs were incubated in a laboratory and deformities were assessed on newly-hatched alevins using a graduated severity index. No effects were observed on egg or alevin survival or larval weight across the studied exposure range of 5.4 to 66 mg/kg dry weight in egg. Length of some larvae was reduced at the highest egg Se concentrations and a clear residue-response relationship was observed for larval deformity. The egg concentration corresponding to a 10% increase in the frequency of deformity (EC10) was 54 mg/kg dry weight, which is substantially higher than reported for other cold-water fish species.