Physiological Response of the Cunner, Tautogolabrus adspersus, 
To Cadmium. 
I. Introduction and Experimental Design 
ANTHONY CALABRESE, RIES S. COLLIER, and JAMES E. MILLER’ 
INTRODUCTION 
Like most metals, cadmium is stable and does not 
degrade in the environment. Thus, as increasing 
amounts of cadmium are refined, more and more of it 
is circulated in the environment, and increasing 
amounts may reach man. Cadmium becomes an air 
and water pollutant, through a variety of industrial 
processes, and is being used in increasing amounts by 
the storage battery, plastics, plating, and petroleum 
industries (U.S. Council on Environmental Quality, 
1971). There is no evidence that cadmium is 
biologically essential or beneficial but, on the other 
hand, has caused severe human health problems 
(McKee and Wolf, 1971). Since cadmium salts are 
most likely to be found in estuarine areas that are im- 
portant nursery areas for marine fish and shellfish lar- 
vae and juveniles, adult marine fish and shellfish are 
a potential source of cadmium in the human diet. 
Relatively little is known about the effect of cad- 
mium on aquatic animals, particularly those in the 
marine environment. Most studies on the effect of 
cadmium to aquatic species have been performed 
with freshwater forms. More recently, however, 
research emphasis has been directed toward the effect 
of cadmium salts on various marine organisms 
(Shuster and Pringle, 1968, 1969; Gardner and 
Yevich, 1969, 1970; Jackim, Hamlin, and Sonis, 1970; 
Hisler, 1971; Eisler, Zaroogian, and Hennekey, 1972; 
Calabrese et al., 1973). These studies have progressed 
from the more classical bioassay tests for simply 
determining TL, (that concentration of toxicant 
causing 50% mortality) to those of physiological stress 
caused by sublethal levels of the pollutant being 
tested. Studies conducted at sublethal concentrations 
of a contaminant material so as to determine 
physiological damage to the organism concerned may 
be more important than mortality itself. The gradual 
elimination of valued marine species by low concen- 
trations of toxicants is no less serious than instan- 
_ taneous death of those species. In a sense, it is more 
_ serious because it is less likely to be obvious and to be 
_ traced to its source in time to permit recovery of the 
| 4 Milford Laboratory, Middle Atlantic Coastal Fisheries Center, 
National Marine Fisheries Service, NOAA, Milford, CT 06460. 
environment. Studies of physiological stress caused 
by sublethal levels of a toxicant generally require 
chronic or long-term exposure, but some physiological 
parameters can be examined in short-term tests. 
Parameters of physiological damage that can be ex- 
amined by long-term exposure include growth, life 
span, reproductive success, adaptation to en- 
vironmental stress, feeding and mating behavior, 
changes in respiration and osmoregulation, 
pathological effects, biochemical anomalies, and 
genetic alterations. 
It is apparent that increases in human population 
and technological development are producing serious 
stresses on the marine environment, with a resulting 
decrease in its effective use. These events, plus 
natural events, are fostering conditions that diminish 
the harvest of marine resources. The National Marine 
Fisheries Service (NMFS), as part of the National 
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), is 
concerned about the threat to marine life and is 
providing a national focus for marine research to 
generate the basic knowledge and understanding of 
marine environmental processes required for effective 
management of the marine environment and its 
resources. 
The New York Bight, which is receiving inter- 
national attention because of the large amount of 
waste material being dumped into it, borders the most 
heavily populated and industrialized complex in the 
country. Because the Middle Atlantic Coastal 
Fisheries Center of the NMFS is located within this 
geographical area, it is important that this Center un- 
dertake studies to determine the impact of man upon 
the living marine resources of this area. This Center, 
comprising laboratories in Sandy Hook, N.J.; 
Milford, Conn.; and Oxford, Md., has the facilities 
and scientists to undertake studies of this type. The 
present study was designed to determine the short- 
term (96 hr) physiological response of a local fish, 
Tautogolabrus adspersus, commonly known as the 
cunner, to cadmium. A multidisciplinary approach 
was used to determine the following: 1) uptake of cad- 
mium into various tissues and organ systems; 2) 
changes in osmoregulation and oxygen consumption 
rates; 3) changes in enzymological patterns; 4) im- 
mune response to various antigens; and 5) induction 
