Effect of Effluent from an Oil Blending Industry on Guppy Fish, Poecilia reticulata: A Bioassay Approach

Abstract

Effluent released from different industries into the nearby water bodies leads to pollution of the aquatic environment and hence it is one of the major concerns of the modern world. The detrimental effects of different industrial effluents can be assessed by means of bioassay using wide range of living organisms including fishes. In the present experiment bioassay was conducted to determine the acute toxicity of the effluent from an oil blending industry on guppy fish (Poecilia reticulata) under laboratory conditions. Fishes exposed to different dilutions of the effluent exhibited behavioural changes, such as, gasping and inconsistent movements as an indicator of stress. The LC₅₀ of the effluent at 24, 48, 72, and 96 hours were found to be 97.84% (i.e., 2.16% dilution), 87.74% (i.e., 12.26% dilution), 73.67% (i.e., 26.33% dilution) and 67.92% (i.e., 32.08% dilution) respectively. The result clearly shows that effluent posed considerable amount of toxicity on the selected fish species.