Environmental contaminants accumulate in ecosystems and give rise to a variety of physiological responses to oxidative stress. Anthropogenic activities such as mining are thought to be the cause of the heavy metal contamination found at study sites such as Mores Creek creating differences in fish enzyme levels when compared to sites at Jump Creek and Sheep Creek with low contamination levels. We compared the fitness of Redband Trout (Owcohynchus mykiss gairdnerii) using four indicative biomarkers. The enzyme activity of each tissue was found using a Bradford Assay with bovine serum albumin standard. The biomarker Glutathione-s-Transferase (GST), measured in the liver, catalyzes the attachment of glutathione to contaminants was, Lactate Dehydrogenase (LDH), measured in muscle tissue, converts pyruvate to lactate in glycolysis for energy in times of stress, Acetylchoine Esterase (AChE), measured in brain tissue, degrades acetylcholine after nerve transmission and is inhibited by contaminants or enhanced depending on contamination, and Metallothionein (MT), measured in liver tissue, is a cysteine rich molecule that attracts contaminants. Mores Creek showed increased levels of AChE, LDH, and GST when compared to control sites. Future research will include more sites around Idaho to produce a larger scale image of contamination levels.

The Effect of Contamination on Redband Trout (Owcohynchus mykiss gairdnerii) in Southwestern Idaho Using Selected Biomarkers