Abstract
When oil spills occur, behavior is the first line of defense for a fish to avoid being contaminated. Here, we determined the avoidance threshold of the European seabass (Dicentrarchus labrax) to the water-soluble fraction (WSF) of oil using a dual flow choice box. Our experiment revealed that a plume of 20%-diluted WSF (total PAH concentration: 8.54 μg L-1) triggered a significant avoidance response that was detected within 7.5 minutes of introducing WSF-contaminated water in the experimental set-up. However, the ecological relevance of seabass capacity to detect and avoid WSF remains to be established. In the short term, such response is indeed liable to reduce sea bass contact time with oil-contaminated water and thus preserve their functional integrity. In the long term, however, this may contribute to displace a population into a possibly less auspicious environment, with very similar consequences than contaminant exposure i.e., disturbed population dynamics and demography. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved
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