Fish Losses After Forest Sprayings with Insecticides in New Brunswick, 1952–62, as Shown by Caged Specimens and other Observations

Abstract

The survival of young Atlantic salmon and eastern brook trout, held in cages and free-living, was observed in New Brunswick streams inside and outside forested areas sprayed operationally and experimentally from aircraft with DDT and other insecticides for budworm control. DDT-in-oil in a single application at [Formula: see text] caused heavy loss of underyearling salmon and parr within 3 weeks. DDT-in-oil at [Formula: see text] had no apparent short-term effects on salmon parr, but killed many underyearlings; two applications 10 days apart were about as harmful as a single application at [Formula: see text]. DDD at [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text], and malathion at [Formula: see text], were no more harmful to young salmon than DDT at [Formula: see text]. Replacing Stearman airplanes with larger aircraft in operational spraying and associated changes in spraying procedure sometimes caused heavy fish losses even for single applications of DDT at [Formula: see text]. Experimental spraying of phosphamidon-in-water at 1 lb/acre had no apparent harmful effects on young salmon and trout.Observations at a counting fence across the Northwest Miramichi 12 miles below the lower boundary of the forested area sprayed with DDT at [Formula: see text] in 1954 showed extensive killing of suckers and cyprinids; also, the numbers of these species moving through the fence were abnormally low for several years after spraying.Wild young salmon were found dead in streams when autumn water temperatures approached freezing after June sprayings of watersheds with DDT.