Rotenone as a causative agent in the mass mortality of white Amur in an orange county, Florida pond

Abstract

Water taken some two days after a mass mortality of white amur in an Orange County, Florida, holding pond was extracted with chloroform. The concentrated extracts were analyzed by high pressure liquid chromatrography (HPLC) and were found to contain rotenone, a known fish toxicant, upon comparison with an authentic sample. The water contained, by estimation, 1.8 ppm rotenone. Additional studies were made of the degradation of rotenone and associated materials of commercial samples in lake water in contact with sediment. The carrier materials degrade rapidly, i.e., within two days, though rotenone should persist for purposes of HPLC analysis for two days under ambient environmental conditions. The origin of rotenone in this water is unknown.

Key words:

• Hydrilla verticillata
• Rotenone
• White Amur