This project will develop an automated and continuous means of monitoring water quality, utilizing fish as the sensors. The specific aims include improving the computerized instrumentation, as well as, quantifying the potential for monitoring the fish ventilatory profiles in response to the presence of toxicants of environmental concern in a variety of commercial applications. Such applications could include the wastewater dischargers, chemical manufacturing and pharmaceutical industries, as well as, public drinking water supplies. In the Phase II effort, fish ventilatory behaviors will be continuously monitored employing noninvasive electrodes and microcomputer-based data capture and analytical systems. It is anticipated that automated assessments of the changes in individual fish bioelectric ventilatory signal profiles will be representative of the toxicant concentration present, and that such changes will be quantifiable after a relatively short-exposure period. If successful, this innovative, yet inexpensive tool could be packaged into a system requiring relatively unskilled technicians as operators.The potential commercial application as described by the awardee: It is anticipated that the potential commercial applications of this research include the monitoring of industrial and municipal wastewaters, the protection of public drinking water supplies, and the screening of new products by the chemical manufacturing and pharmaceutical industries.
