Non lethal concentrations of pesticide impair ovarian function in the freshwater perch,Anabas testudineus

Synopsis Anabas testudineus were treated with non lethal levels of metacid-50 (0.106 ppb) and carbaryl (1.66 ppm) for 90 days covering the pre-spawning and spawning phases of the annual reproductive cycle. The main purpose of the present work was to identify the effects of metacid-50 and carbaryl on the gonado somatic index (GSI) and ovarian and plasma estrogen level. There was no alteration in GSI until 15 days, initiating the inhibition on day 20 which further intensified from 20 to 90 days of exposure. Plasma and ovarian estrogen level significantly increased up to 15 days of exposure followed by a decline till the end of the experiment. It is noteworthy that the effect of pesticides on GSI is reflected in the ovarian estrogen level. This highlights the fact that at short-term exposures the nonlethal levels of pesticides have no inhibitory effect while at long-term exposure, the pesticides have potent inhibitory effect on the reproduction of fish.