The impact of produced water on fish reproduction: a multigeneration approach

Major oil and gas activities are on-going along much of the Norwegian continental shelf, and it is anticipated that exploration and production will expand in the near future to include new oil fields in the high Arctic. Of major concern is the environment al impact of waste discharges from oil production facilities on aquatic wildlife, especially those of the more vulnerable Arctic ecosystems. To date, evidence from exposure studies suggest that these oil pollutants have only minimum effects on the well-b eing of aquatic wildlife such as fish. However, these studies are generally based on either short-term or partial life-history tests. In order to account for factors such as bioconcentration, bioconversion and generation effects, there is a need to invest igate the impact of long-term exposure covering multiple generations. The proposal aims to evaluate the environmental risks posed by produced water by adopting a multi-generation approach, using the three-spined stickleback as a model species. The impac t of produced water exposure on fish reproduction will be studied experimentally by evaluating a number of reproductive end-points, known to be sensitive to anthropogenic factors, over four successive generations. These reproductive end-points will includ e male reproductive behaviour, sperm quality, reproductive success as evaluated from fertilization and hatching rates, and sex differentiation. Finally, this project will develop an array of allozyme or microsatellites to use as genetic markers to determi ne if impacted stickleback populations are losing genetic variation over time as a consequence of pollution. This project will address major knowledge gapson understanding the impact of long-term exposure on aquatic wildlife, and attempt to account for im portant factors such as bioconcentration/bioaccumulation, bioconversion, and generation effects. This would facilitate a more comprehensive environmental risk assessment of chronic exposure to oil contaminants.