INVESTIGATIONS IN FISH CONTROL

95. Deposition and Persistence of Rotenone in Shallow Ponds During 

Cold and Warm Seasons

OCH3

UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE
Investigations in Fish Control, published by the Fish and Wildlife Service, include reports on the results of work 

at the National Fishery Research Center at La Crosse, Wisconsin, and reports of other studies related to that work. 

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See inside back cover for list of current issues.

Copies of this publication may be obtained from the Publications Unit, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 

Washington, DC 20240, or may be purchased from the National Technical Information Service (NTIS), 5285 

Port Royal Road, Springfield, VA 22161.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Gilderhus, P. A. (Philip A.)

Deposition and persistence of rotenone in shallow ponds during 

cold and warm seasons.

(Investigations in fish control ; 95)

1. Rotenone Environmental aspects. 2. Pond fauna Effect 

of insecticides on. 3. Pond ecology. I. Dawson, Verdel K. 

II. Alien, J. K. (John L.) III. Title. IV. Series. 

SH157.7.I58 No. 95 639.9'77 s [639.3'11] 88-600290 

[QH545.P4]
INVESTIGATIONS IN FISH CONTROL

95. Deposition and Persistence of Rotenone in Shallow Ponds During 

Cold and Warm Seasons

By P. A. Gilderhus, V. K. Dawson, and J. L. Alien

UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE

Washington, D.C. 1988

Deposition and Persistence of Rotenone in Shallow Ponds 

During Cold and Warm Seasons

by

P. A. Gilderhus, V. K. Dawson, and J. L. Alien

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 

National Fisheries Research Center

P.O. Box 818 

La Crosse, Wisconsin 54602

Abstract

As part of the requirements for the continued registration of rotenone, data were developed on 

deposition and persistence of the chemical in aquatic ecosystems in cold and warm seasons. After 

treatment of two ponds, one in November (0-5° C) and one in July (23-27° C), with 5 ptL/L of 

Noxfish (0.250 mg/L of rotenone), we collected samples of water, bottom sediments, invertebrates, 

and fish and analyzed them for rotenone by high performance liquid chromatography. Decomposition of rotenone in water followed a first-order decay curve; half-life was 10.3 days in cold water 

and 0.94 days in warm water. In cold water, residues in bottom sediments gradually increased to 

a peak of 0.1 ^g/g after 14 days and then declined to <0.025 ^g/g (the limit of detection) after 

64 days; in warm water, residues in sediments fell below the detection limit within 24 h. In freshwater mussels and crayfish, residues gradually increased for 1 week in cold water and 1 day in 

warm water and then slowly decreased. Residues in fish varied with species and water temperatures; 

concentrations were higher in fish tissues than in the water on corresponding days.

Rotenone has been used as a fish toxicant in the United 

States for about 50 years, and is currently the most widely used piscicide in the United States (Schnick 1974). 

Since rotenone was first registered with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in 1962, the requirements for registration of pesticides have increased and 

have been revised several times. The guidelines now 

require more extensive documentation of the safety, 

efficacy, and persistence of chemicals in the environment. 

All previously registered pesticides are required to conform to the revised standards when their labels are 

reviewed. Preliminary studies have indicated that the persistence of rotenone is brief in warm water and much 

longer in cold water (Gilderhus et al. 1986). Such information was helpful in developing adequate sampling 

schedules for more comprehensive jsrudies.

We describe research performed m 1983 and 1984 on 

persistence of rotenone in the environment to meet current EPA requirements for continued registration. The 

objective of the studies was to determine where rotenone 

is deposited in the environment, in what amounts, and how

long it stays there during different seasons. The studies 

were conducted in fall and summer in shallow ponds to 

determine the distribution and persistence of rotenone in 

water, bottom sediments, invertebrates, and fish under 

cold and warm conditions. For convenience, we refer to 

the pond treated in November as the "coldwater pond" 

and the one treated in July as the "warmwater pond." 

These designations do not imply any marked difference 

in thermal regimen or biota between the ponds.

Materials and Methods

Study Sites

The coldwater pond was at the Genoa (Wisconsin) 

National Fish Hatchery and the warmwater pond at the 

La Crosse National Fisheries Research Center; their 

physical, chemical, and sediment characteristics are 

shown in Table 1. Use of two different ponds was necessary because we did not have access to the hatchery pond

1
Table 1. Characteristics of ponds used in studies on the 

persistence of rotenone in the environment.

Characteristics

Coldwater Warmwater 

pond pond

Pond and water

Approximate dimensions (m)

Volume (m3 )

Surface area (ha)

Mean depth (m)

PH

Turbidity (NTU)a

Total hardness (mg/L as CaCO3)

Total alkalinity (mg/I^ as CaCO3)

Sediment

Sand (%)

Silt (%)

Clay (%)

Organic content (%)

Moisture content (%)

Cation exchange capacity

(meq/100 g)

Density (g/cm3)

PH

137 x 33

3,526

0.46

0.78

8.62

3.43

284

253

91

7

2

2.4

41.1

14.45

1.30

8.2

27 x 8

185

0.02

0.86

8.35

2.65

113

92

93

4

3

2.3

29.0

13.04

1.51

8.1

a Nephelometric turbidity units.

during summer and the outlet structure in the pond at the 

Research Center would not withstand the pressure from 

thick ice. At the time of treatment of the coldwater pond 

on 14 November 1983, the water temperature was 5° C 

and remained at 4 to 5° C until 28 November, when the 

pond became covered with ice about 2.5 cm thick. Water 

temperature directly under the ice was 0° C by 5 December; ice thickness increased to 25 cm by 27 December 

and then decreased to 15 cm by 29 February. The warmwater pond was treated on 30 July 1984; water temperatures ranged from 23 to 27° C as long as 7 days after 

treatment, when rotenone was no longer detected in water 

or soil.

Treatments

Each pond was treated with Noxfish, a commercial formulation containing 5% rotenone, to produce a concentration of 0.250 mg/L of rotenone (the maximum allowed 

by the product label). The formulated chemical was 

diluted 8:1 with pond water before it was applied. In the 

coldwater pond, we used a boat with a venturi-type boat 

bailer on a 6-horsepower outboard motor (a small, shallow 

area at one end of the pond was treated with a handpumped sprayer). We treated the shallow end of the warmwater pond with the hand-pumped sprayer and the rest

of the pond by using the boat bailer with the motor 

mounted on the water-control structure at the deep end 

of the pond.

Sampling

Samples of the various components in the aquatic environment (water, bottom soil, and experimental animals) 

were collected in accordance with Pesticide Assessment 

Guidelines, Subdivision N Chemistry: Environmental 

Fate (EPA 1982). Sampling schedules were based on data 

from the preliminary studies on the persistence of rotenone in water (Gilderhus et al. 1986).

Water samples were collected in amber glass jugs submerged just below the surface of the water. Samples were 

collected along the midline of the coldwater pond at points 

30, 60, and 90 m from one end, either from a boat or 

through holes in the ice made with an ice spud or gasolinepowered auger. Water samples from the warmwater pond 

were also collected along the midline, at points 3 m from 

either end and at the center of the pond. All water samples 

were extracted within 2 h after collection.

Samples of bottom soil were collected with a core 

sampler 5 cm in diameter, similar to that described by 

Swanson (1978), at the same locations where the water 

samples were collected. Each sediment sample was a composite of three cores taken within a radius of 0.5 m. Cores 

were collected by forcing the sampler 10-15 cm into the 

bottom, and then releasing the core into an enameled pan; 

the top 5 cm was then cut off and placed into a plastic 

container with a snap-on lid, along with the top 5 cm of 

each of the two other cores in the sample. Samples were 

placed in a freezer at 10° C within 2 h after collection.

Particle sizes of sediments were determined according 

to standardized procedures for sieving and hydrometer 

classification (ASTM 1979). Soil classifications were provided by the University of Wisconsin Soil and Forage 

Laboratory, Marshfield, Wisconsin.

Freshwater mussels and crayfish were used as representative invertebrates because they are easy to sample 

and are large enough to provide adequate tissue samples 

(10 g) for rotenone analysis. The mussels (Latnpsilis sp.) 

were collected from Lake Onalaska near La Crosse, 

Wisconsin, and the crayfish (Orconectes sp.) were obtained from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. Mussels were placed in a woven wire cage resting 

on the pond bottom, at a single location in each pond; 

sides of the cage extended above the water. A 10- to 15-cm 

layer of sand in the bottom of the cages provided a substrate in which the mussels could burrow. Mussels were 

placed in the coldwater pond 1 week before treatment and
the warm water pond 2 weeks before treatment. At each 

sampling, six mussels were removed from the cage, rinsed 

in clean water for 30 s, and packaged as three replicates 

of two mussels each. The soft tissues were analyzed for 

rotenone and the shells were discarded.

Crayfish were placed in a single floating cage 1 week 

before treatment in each pond. At each sampling, three 

groups of three large crayfish were taken from the coldwater pond and three groups of six smaller crayfish from 

the warmwater pond (to ensure samples of adequate size 

for analysis). To aid handling and packaging, we killed 

crayfish immediately after collection by inserting a sharp 

blade into the brain. Whole crayfish were ground and 

extracted for rotenone analysis.

Invertebrates were wrapped in aluminum foil, placed 

in a polyethylene bag, and sealed. Samples were frozen 

within 2 h after collection and stored at -10° C until 

analyzed.

Fish resident in the ponds (common carp, Cyprinus carpio, and largemouth bass, Micropterus salmoides, in the 

coldwater pond; shortnose gar, Lepisosteusplatostomus, 

in the warmwater pond) were sampled after they were 

killed by rotenone on the day of treatment. Three common carp, three largemouth bass, and two shortnose gar 

were sampled and processed individually; the fillets and 

offal were packaged separately in foil, placed together in 

a plastic bag, and sealed.

Since resident fish killed by rotenone are not recommended for consumption as food, emphasis was placed 

on uptake and elimination of rotenone by fish that were 

stocked after the water was no longer toxic. Beginning 

on day 7 in the coldwater pond and day 1 in the warmwater pond, we placed fathead minnows, Pimephales promelas, in floating cages to monitor the toxicity of the 

water. When 9 of 10 fish survived for 24 h (on days 30 

and 4 after treatment in coldwater and warmwater ponds, 

respectively) we considered the water to be safe for 

restocking. We chose to use an ictalurid and a centrarchid 

in each pond (different species of these families were 

available to us when the two tests were conducted). Channel catfish, Ictalurus punctatus, and largemouth bass 

(mean total lengths, 37 and 23 cm, respectively) were 

placed in cages in the coldwater pond on day 30 after treatment. Black bullheads, Ictalurus melas, and bluegills, 

Lepomis macrochirus, averaging 25 and 13 cm in length, 

respectively, were placed in the warmwater pond on day 7 

after treatment. Fish cages rested on the bottom and extended above the water surface. For the larger fish (channel catfish, black bullheads, and largemouth bass), three 

fish were taken at each sampling; the fillets and offal were 

packaged and analyzed separately for each fish. Bluegills

were sampled as three groups of four fish on each sampling day; fillets and offal from each group of four were 

pooled and packaged separately. Packaging and freezing 

procedures for fish were the same as those used for 

invertebrates.

Sample Analyses

Water samples were acidified to pH 5 with an acetate 

buffer and extracted with a disposable Baker Cig chromatography column. The extracted rotenone was eluted from 

the column with 2 mL of methanol and analyzed by high 

performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) as described 

by Dawson et al. (1983). A Waters model M-45 HPLC 

with a Waters 15 cm x 3.9 mm Nova-Pak Cig reversephase column and UV detector (295 nm) was used for 

the analyses. The mobile phase consisted of methanol: 

water (70:30 v/v) at a flow rate of 1 mL/min. The lower 

limit of detection for water was 0.002 mg/L.

Sediment samples were extracted with methanol on a 

Sorval mixer, centrifuged, and filtered on Gelman type 

A/E glass fiber filters. The extracts were acidified, partitioned into hexane, and transferred to a silica gel column. The samples were eluted from the silica gel with 

benzene:acetone (97:3), exchanged into methanol, and 

analyzed by HPLC by the modified method of Bowman 

et al. (1978). The detection limit for rotenone in sediments 

was 0.025 pig/g.

Fish fillets, fish offal, crayfish (whole body), and freshwater mussels (without shell) were homogenized in a 

blender with dry ice according to the procedure of Benville and Tindle (1970). Homogenates were mixed with 

sodium sulfate and column-extracted with ethyl ether 

(Hesselberg and Johnson 1972). We separated extracts 

from lipids by gel permeation chromatography (GPC) with 

SX-3 biobeads and methylene chloride :cyclohexane (1:1 

v/v). Further cleanup was obtained by silica gel chromatography in the same way as described for the sediment 

samples, and was followed by HPLC analysis. The lower 

limit of detection for rotenone in tissues was 0.005 pig/g. 

Quality assurance for the analytical portion of the study 

was provided by systematic analysis of blanks, replicates, 

and spiked controls.

Results

Water

Rotenone degraded much more slowly in the coldwater 

pond than in the warmwater pond (Table 2). In the cold-
water pond, the mean concentration of rotenone in the 

initial samples taken 3 h after treatment was 0.229 mg/L; 

the concentration declined gradually but steadily over 

time; and residues dropped to <0.002 mg/L (the limit of 

detection) after 57 days (Table 2). In the warmwater 

pond, the mean concentration of rotenone at 3 h was

0.180 mg/L; the concentration declined by more than 

50% in the first 12 h; and residues fell to the 0.002-mg/L 

detection limit within 4 days (Table 2). The rate of loss 

of rotenone from water followed a first-order decay curve; 

the half-life was 10.3 days in the coldwater pond and 0.94 

day (22.5 h) in the warmwater pond (Fig. 1).

Table 2. Mean (N = 3) concentrations ofrotenone (standard errors in parentheses) in samples collected from a 

coldwater and a warmwater pond treated with 5 yiL/L ofNoxfish (0.250 mg/L of rotenone).

Pond and 

posttreatment time

Coldwater3

Hours

3-6b

Days

1

3

7

14

21

28

36

43

50

57

64

78

Warmwater6

Hours

3

6

12

18

Days

1

Water 

(mg/L)

0.229

(0.010)

0.186

(0.003)

0.164

(0.004)

0.090

(0.004)

0.062

(0.003)

0.030

(0.005)

0.020

(0.001)

0.020

(0.002)

0.012

(0.000)

0.006

(0.000)

0.002d

0.180

(0.002)

0.154

(0.002)

0.110

(0.005)

0.097

(0.010)

0.089

(0.001)

Sediments 

(Mg/g)

0.029

(0.004)

0.034

(0.004)

0.058

(0.008)

0.075

(0.014)

0.100

(0.025)

0.075

(0.014)

0.054

(0.011)

0.042

(0.008)

0.033

(0.008)

<0.025d

<0.025d

0.075

(0.014)

0.033

(0.008)

<0.025d

Crayfish 

(Mg'g)

0.188

(0.009)

0.395

(0.046)

0.340

(0.014)

0.235

(0.033)

0.200

(0.065)

0.057

(0.008)c

0.088

(0.050)

0.076

(0.00)

Mussels 

(Mg/g)

0.068

(0.0000)

0.066

(0.032)

0.174

(0.048)

0.723

(0.099)

0.696

(0.033)

0.382

(0.145)

0.230

(0.051)c

0.305

(0.077)

1.060

(0.427)c
Table 2. Continued.

Pond and 

posttreatment time

1.5

2

3

4

7

Water 

(mg/L)

0.061

(0.001)

0.040

(0.006)

0.020

(0.000)

0.002d

Sediments Crayfish

_ 

 

 0.058

- (0.008)

- 0.045

- (0.022)

- 0.019

- (0.017)

<0.025d <0.005e

Mussels

a Water temperature at time of treatment, 5° C.

bWater and sediments, 3 h; crayfish and mussels, 6 h.

°Last sample because no live animals remained at the next sampling date.

dLimit of detection.

eWater temperature at time of treatment, 24° C.

Sediments

Bottom sediments in the two ponds had similar physical 

characteristics (Table 1). Consequently, their adsorptive 

capacity for rotenone was probably similar because this 

capacity is closely related to particle size and organic content (Dawson et al. 1986). Residues of rotenone in bottom 

sediments in the coldwater pond peaked at 0.100 ^g/g after 

14 days and then declined to <0.025 /^g/g (limit of detection) after 64 days (Table 2). Accumulation and elimination were much faster in the warm water pond; the 

concentration in the sediments peaked at 0.075 ^g/g after 

6 h and dropped to <0.025 ^g/g after 24 h (Table 2). The 

peak concentration in the sediments was higher than that

cold water 

warm water

Days

Fig. 1. Disappearance of rotenone from pond waters treated 

with 5 nL/L of Noxfish (0.250 mg/L of rotenone).

in water in the coldwater pond but less than half that in 

water in the warmwater pond.

Crayfish

Crayfish in the coldwater pond accumulated concentrations of rotenone 1.58 times the treatment concentration by 1 day after treatment; concentrations then declined 

steadily from day 1 to day 21 (Table 2). All caged crayfish were dead by day 28, possibly as a result of the long 

submersion in cold water during a season when they would 

normally be hibernating. However, delayed mortality due 

to rotenone toxicity is also a possibility.

In warm water, residues of rotenone in crayfish peaked 

at 0.088 ng/g (35% of the treatment concentration) 6 h 

after treatment (Table 2). The concentration declined 

rapidly to the limit of detection (0.005 M§/§) by day 7. 

The decline of residues in crayfish closely paralleled that 

in water in the warmwater pond.

Mussels

The concentrations of rotenone accumulated were 

higher in mussels than in crayfish. In the coldwater pond, 

residues peaked at 0.723 ^g/g (2.88 times the treatment 

concentration) at 7 days after treatment, and declined to 

0.230 ng/g (Table 2) on day 28. In the warmwater pond, 

tissue concentrations reached 1.060 /^g/g (4.24 times the 

treatment concentration) 1 day after treatment (Table 2). 

Because all of the mussels had died, no further sampling 

was possible. Since the caged mussels, which had been 

in the pond for 2 weeks, were alive on the day of treat-
ment and dead the next day, we assumed that the mortalities were due to the toxic effects of rotenone.

Fish

Fish in the ponds were dead within 2 to 4 h after treatment. Residues of rotenone in fillets from these fish were 

generally commensurate with the concentrations in the 

water. In the coldwater pond, common carp accumulated 

the highest concentrations (0.329 ± 0.046 ptg/g in fillets) 

and largemouth bass the lowest (0.171 ± 0.008 jug/g in 

fillets). In shortnose gar in the warmwater pond, residues 

were 0.202 ± 0.116 jug/g in fillets. Concentrations in the 

offal were about double those in fillets of each species.

Fish stocked in the ponds after the rotenone had declined 

to nontoxic levels accumulated rotenone residues that were 

higher than those in the invertebrates that were in the pond 

on the day of treatment. In cold water, both channel catfish and largemouth bass accumulated rotenone residues 

in excess of 20 times the level in the water when the fish 

were stocked (Table 3). Peak concentrations in the fillets 

and offal of channel catfish were about equal (Table 3). 

In largemouth bass, the peak in the fillets was nearly 

3 times that in the offal. In the warmwater pond, black 

bullheads concentrated rotenone up to 76 times the concentration in the water (0.002 mg/L) when the fish were 

stocked into the pond (Table 3). Their uptake and eliminaTable 3. Concentrations0 ofrotenone in channel catfish and largemouth bass stocked in a coldwater pond 30 days 

after it was treated with 5 \*L/L ofNoxfish (0.250 mg/L ofrotenone) and in black bullheads and bluegills stocked 

in a warmwater pond 7 days after a similar treatment.

Days after 

stocking

1

3

6

13

20

1

3

7

14

21

29

35

Fillet

0.123

(0.018)

0.360

(0.025)

0.410

(0.034)

0.131

(0.011)

0.178

(0.026)

Fillet

0.005C

(0.000)

0.005C

(0.000)

0.045

(0.042)

0.153

(0.036)

0.083

(0.004)

0.060

(0.004)

<0.005C

Channel catfish

Offal

0.228

(0.050)

0.351

(0.016)

0.417

(0.077)

0.342

(0.068)

0.325

(0.038)b

Black bullheads

Offal

0.032

(0.030)

0.054

(0.004)

0.062

(0.003)

0.096

(0.016)

0.026

(0.016)

0.018

(0.016)

0.005C

Fillet

0.082

(0.016)

1.225

(0.037)

0.502

(0.20)

Fillet

0.064

(0.005)

<0.005C

<0.005C

<0.005C

<0.005C

Largemouth bass

Offal

0.166

(0.013)

0.440

(0.027)

0.263

(0.083)b

Bluegills

Offal

0.067

(0.005)

0.087

(0.008)

0.078

(0.006)

<0.005C

<0.005C

a Mean of three samples standard errors in parentheses.

"Last sample because no live animals remained at the next sampling date.

c Limit of detection.
tion of rotenone spanned 5 weeks. In bluegills, the uptake and elimination of rotenone were rapid, peaking on 

day 1 and declining to below the limit of detection by 

day 3 (Table 3).

Discussion

The length of time that rotenone persisted in the water 

and the time that it became nontoxic to fathead minnows 

were about as expected. The degradation of rotenone in 

aquatic environments is influenced by many environmental 

factors that are more or less active, depending on the 

season. Water temperature was a major factor in our 

study, as in other published studies. The influence of 

temperature has been expressed in formulas developed by 

Post (1958) as well as by Engstrom-Heg and Colesante 

(1979), who also emphasized the effect of sunlight. Our 

data are in general agreement with those of Post (1958) 

and Engstrom-Heg and Colesante (1979). Post's formulas 

would have predicted persistence of about 46 days in our 

coldwater pond and 6 days in our warmwater pond. The 

formulas of Engstrom-Heg and Colesante (1979) would 

have predicted that the rotenone-treated water would remain toxic to fish somewhat longer (69 days in our coldwater pond and 7 days in our warmwater pond).

Various other factors are known to significantly affect 

the toxicity of rotenone (Gilderhus 1982). Aquatic plants 

and suspended clay presumably adsorb and absorb the 

chemical. Phytoplankton, zooplankton, and bacteria are 

also likely to influence the rate at which rotenone disappears from water and are likely to be most active in 

warm water. The generally higher concentrations of 

rotenone in sediments and organisms in the coldwater 

pond were probably due to the much longer time that they 

were exposed to detectable concentrations of rotenone in 

the water. All of the studies on rotenone persistence, 

including the present one, were based on limited data and 

thus cannot be considered definitive. To predict how long 

the toxicity of rotenone will persist, fishery workers 

should consider the entire body of relevant literature. 

Although published studies may help to estimate rotenone 

persistence, on-site tests with fish are always advisable 

for the final determination of when the treated water is 

safe for restocking.

The rapid accumulation of rotenone in fish tissues indicates a high uptake efficiency. The dynamics of chemical 

movement across the gills of fish were described by 

McKim et al. (1985), whose studies indicated that 

chemicals with octanol-water partition coefficients (log 

P) between 3 and 6 have the highest uptake in fish. 

Gingerich and Rach (1985) reported the log P for rotenone

to be 4.26, placing it in the category of chemicals most 

easily transported across the gills. Those studies also 

showed that rotenone tended to concentrate in the viscera 

and that elimination from the viscera was relatively rapid. 

Rapid uptake of rotenone was also apparent in our study, 

in which the concentrations accumulated by fish were 

much higher than those in the water at the time the fish 

were stocked.

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130 pp.

Swanson, G. A. 1978. A simple lightweight core sampler for 

quantitating waterfowl foods. J. Wildl. Manage. 42:426-428.

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. 1982. Pesticide assessment guidelines, subdivision N. Chemistry; environmental 

fate. U.S. Department of Commerce, National Technical Information Service, Springfield, Va. PB83-153973. 108 pp.

Gilderhus, Philip A., Verdel K. Dawson, and John L. Alien. 1988. Deposition 

and Persistence of Rotenone in Shallow Ponds During Cold and Warm 

Seasons. U.S. Fish Wildl. Serv., Invest. Fish Control 95. 7 pp.

As part of the requirements for the continued registration of rotenone, data 

were developed on deposition and persistence of the chemical in aquatic 

ecosystems in cold and warm seasons. After treatment of two ponds with 5 pL/L 

of Noxfish (0.250 mg/L of rotenone), we collected samples of water, bottom 

sediments, invertebrates, and fish and analyzed them for rotenone by high performance liquid chromatography. Decomposition of rotenone in water followed 

a first-order decay curve; half-life was 10.3 days in cold water and 0.94 days 

in warm water. In cold water, residues in bottom sediments gradually increased 

for 14 days and then declined to the limit of detection after 64 days; in warm 

water, residues in sediments fell below the detection limit within 24 h. In 

freshwater mussels and crayfish, residues gradually increased for 1 week in cold 

water and 1 day in warm water and then slowly decreased. Residues in fish varied 

with species and water temperatures; concentrations were higher in fish tissues 

than in the water on corresponding days.

Key words: Rotenone, residues, persistence, fish, water sediments, temperature 

effects.

Gilderhus, Philip A., Verdel K. Dawson, and 

and Persistence of Rotenone in Shallow P

Seasons. U.S. Fish Wildl. Serv., Invest. F

As part of the requirements for the continu

were developed on deposition and persisten

ecosystems in cold and warm seasons. After tre

of Noxfish (0.250 mg/L of rotenone), we col

sediments, invertebrates, and fish and analyzed 

formance liquid chromatography. Decompositi

a first-order decay curve; half-life was 10.3 d

in warm water. In cold water, residues in botto

for 14 days and then declined to the limit of d

water, residues in sediments fell below the 

freshwater mussels and crayfish, residues gradu

water and 1 day in warm water and then slowly d

with species and water temperatures; concentra

than in the water on corresponding days.

Key words: Rotenone, residues, persistence, fi

effects.

Gilderhus, Philip A., Verdel K. Dawson, and John L. Alien. 1988. Deposition and Persistence of 

Rotenone hi Shallow Ponds During Cold and Warm Seasons. U.S. Fish Wildl. Serv., Invest, 

Fish Control 95. 7 pp.

As part of the requirements for the continued registration of rotenone, data were developed on deposition and persistence of the chemical in aquatic ecosystems in cold and warm seasons. After treatment 

of two ponds with 5 ^L/L of Noxfish (0.250 mg/L of rotenone), we collected samples of water, bottom 

sediments, invertebrates, and fish and analyzed them for rotenone by high performance liquid 

chromatography. Decomposition of rotenone in water followed a first-order decay curve; half-life was 

10.3 days in cold water and 0.94 days in warm water. In cold water, residues in bottom sediments 

gradually increased for 14 days and then declined to the limit of detection after 64 days; in warm water, 

residues in sediments fell below the detection limit within 24 h. In freshwater mussels and crayfish, 

residues gradually increased for 1 week in cold water and 1 day in warm water and then slowly decreased. 

Residues in fish varied with species and water temperatures; concentrations were higher in fish tissues 

than in the water on corresponding days.

Key words: Rotenone, residues, persistence, fish, water sediments, temperature effects.

 fr U.S. Government Printing Office: 1988 573-205/80030

Gilderhus, Philip A., Verdel K. Dawson, and John L. Alie

Rotenone in Shallow Ponds During Cold and Warm 

Fish Control 95. 7 pp.

As part of the requirements for the continued registration o

tion and persistence of the chemical in aquatic ecosystems i

of two ponds with 5 fjL/L of Noxfish (0.250 mg/L of rotenon

sediments, invertebrates, and fish and analyzed them fo

chromatography. Decomposition of rotenone in water follow

10.3 days in cold water and 0.94 days in warm water. In 

gradually increased for 14 days and then declined to the limit 

residues in sediments fell below the detection limit within 2

residues gradually increased for 1 week in cold water and 1 day 

Residues in fish varied with species and water temperatures; 

than in the water on corresponding days.

Key words: Rotenone, residues, persistence, fish, water 

(Reports 87 through 89 are in one cover.)

87. Ethyl-p-aminobenzoate (Benzocaine): Efficacy as an Anesthetic for Five Species of Freshwater Fish, by V. K. Dawson 

and P. A. Gilderhus. 1979. 5 pp.

88. Influences of Selected Environmental Factors on the Activity of a Prospective Fish Toxicant, 2-(Digeranyl-amino)-ethanol, 

in Laboratory Tests, by C. A. Launer and T. D. Bills. 1979. 4 pp.

89. Toxicities of the Lampricides 3-Trifluoromethyl-4-nitrophenol (TFM) and the 2-Aminoethanol Salt of 2',5-Dichloro-4'- 

nitrosalicylanilide (Bayer 73) to Four Bird Species, by R. H. Hudson. 1979. 5 pp.

(Reports 90 and 91 are in one cover.)

90. Accumulation and Loss of 2',5-Dichloro-4'-nitrosalicylanilide (Bayer 73) by Fish: Laboratory Studies, by V. K. Dawson, 

J. B. Sills, and Charles W. Luhning. 1982. 5 pp.

91. Effects of Synergized Rotenone on Nontarget Organisms in Ponds, by R. M. Burress. 1982. 7 pp.

(Reports 92 through 94 are in one cover.)

92. Acute and Chronic Toxicity of Rotenone to Daphnia magna, by J. J. Rach, T. D. Bills, and L. L. Marking. 1988. 5 pp.

93. Toxicity of Rotenone to Developing Rainbow Trout, by T. D. Bills, J. J. Rach, and L. L. Marking. 1988. 3 pp.

94. Oral Toxicity of Rotenone to Mammals, by L. L. Marking. 1988. 5 pp.

NOTE: Use of trade names does not imply U.S. Government endorsement of commercial products.
As the Nation's principal conservation agency, the Department of the Interior 

has responsibility for most of our nationally owned public lands and natural 

resources. This includes fostering the wisest use of our land and water resources, 

protecting our fish and wildlife, preserving the environmental and cultural values 

of our national parks and historical places, and providing for the enjoyment of 

life through outdoor recreation. The Department assesses our energy and mineral 

resources and works to assure that their development is in the best interests of 

all our people. The Department also has a major responsibility for American 

Indian reservation communities and for people who live in island territories under 

U.S. administration.

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