Methods for Nonlethal Gill Biopsy and Measurement of Na⁺, K⁺-ATPase Activity

Abstract

A gill biopsy, in which a small portion of gill tissue was removed from anesthetized fish, was shown to have no detrimental effect on subsequent survival, growth, and salinity tolerance of juvenile Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar). A method for measurement of Na + , K + -ATPase activity in this small amount of gill tissue is presented. These methods are useful for nonlethal monitoring of physiological smolt characteristics in salmonids and may have applications in the study of disease, toxicology, and physiological ecology of many fish species.