Avoidance of Copper and Zinc by Rainbow Trout Oncorhynchus mykiss Pre-exposed to Copper

Laboratory tests were conducted on 1-year-old rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss in a counter-current flow, steep-gradient chamber to evaluate their ability to detect and avoid copper and zinc at concentrations of 0.1 mg Cu/L and 1 mg Zn/L, respectively, after 10-day pre-exposure to five copper sublethal concentrations ranging from 0.1 to 0.5 mg Cu/L and after 10-day re-acclimation period in clean water. Avoidance response intensity in affected fish significantly decreased with increase in pre-exposure Cu concentration. The strength of avoidance response to Cu and Zn test solutions in pre-exposed fish after re-acclimation gradually increased in a concentration-dependent order.