Battle of the Bites: The Effect of Sewage Effluent Exposure on Mosquitofish Biocontrol of Mosquitoes in Residential Louisiana

Abstract

Mosquitofish, Gambusia affinis, are eponymous larval mosquito predators. Their ability to colonize and survive in habitats that are uninhabitable by other potential predators allows them to naturally manage larval mosquito populations in most ground pools they are present in. However, effluent from residential onsite wastewater treatment systems (OWTSs) appears to limit the presence of fish predators. This is especially problematic in Louisiana, where regulations allow the discharge of OWTS effluent into open drainage conveyances. To determine the effect of effluent on the capacity of mosquitofish for biocontrol in contaminated areas, we assessed the body condition metrics of populations from two effluent-exposed sites and two sites not exposed to effluent, determined the lethal effect of effluent-contaminated drainage water on fish, and measured the prey consumption rates in the presence of effluent. Female fish collected from effluent-impacted sites had a reduced somatic body condition and most females examined displayed masculinized anal fins resembling the male gonopodium structure. This trait was not seen in fish collected from the control sites and has not yet been documented in association with OWTSs or in the state of Louisiana. Fish from the control sites survived at effluent-contaminated water levels < 70%, and the prey clearance rates increased with dilution. Onsite wastewater treatment system effluent has significant effects on both the short- and long-term persistence of mosquitofish, their body composition, reproductive health, and larval mosquito consumption. These effects likely release mosquito larvae from suppression and may increase the threat of mosquito-transmitted pathogens in effluent-contaminated locations.