Does proximity to aquatic pollution affect reproductive traits in a wild-caught intertidal fish?

Abstract

How chronic exposure to aquatic pollution affects reproductive traits was assessed in nesting wild-caught plainfin midshipman Porichthys notatus in areas with low and high contaminant exposure on Vancouver Island, British Columbia. Males in high-exposure areas had a greater degree of testicular asymmetry, sperm with shorter heads and fewer live eggs in their nests. The results of this study provide important insights into the potential consequences of contaminant exposure on the reproductive physiology of wild-caught fishes. © 2012 The Authors. Journal of Fish Biology © 2012 The Fisheries Society of the British Isles.