Koroleva I.M. The status of whitefish population from Chuna Lake in the Lapland Biosphere Reserve Russia. International Journal of Environmental Research. 2008, V.2, №2, p. 111-124.

Int. J. Environ. Res., 2(2): 111-124, Spring 2008 The early maturation of whitefish is likely to be a response of the population to lifetime reduction caused by an increase in environment toxicity. In the existing favorable feeding conditions, the whitefish have higher growth rate, compared to the data of the earlier studies, but its weight rate has reduced. The analysis of some individuals showed tha t fish have high frequency o f pathological changes of organs, particularly, liver and kidneys pathologies. The inner organs pathology development is likely to be a result of metabolic processes violation of the organism and be related to heavy metals accumulative impact. The metal concentration in whitefish organs has been found to widely variation, which is caused by extremely high metal concentration in fish samples. Moreover, it is noted that higher metals concentrations in target organs of some individuals have been interrelated. For instance, the whitefish, with high Cu concentration in liver, had higher Ni concentration in kidney, which is indicative of mutual load of these metals on fish organisms. The peculiarities of nutrition and habitat of whitefish cause higher Cu and Ni concentration in organism, compared to predatory fish species (trout). Despite the metals elimination mechanisms, stable pollutant intake into the fish organism induced by long-term air-borne industrial pollution results in metal accumulation in organs and tissues during the fish lifetime. Despite the absence o f economical activities in the reservedterritory in which Lake Chuna and its catchment area are located, its status is not enough to prevent changes in fish populations, which are induced by air pollution. The ecosystems functioning in the impact zone of large industrial complexes requires monitoring over the state and the response of a biological constituent. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The authors of this study accord thanks to the researchers o f the labo ra to ry o f aqueous ecosystems of the Institute of the North Industrial Ecology problems KSC RAS, who participated in the studies, and also to the directorship of the Lapland biosphere reserve for assistance in preparation and fulfillment of the project. REFERENCES AMAP, (1998) Assessment Report: Arctic Pollution Issues. Oslo, Norway. AMAP, (2003). In fluence o f G lobal C limate on Contaminant Pathways Report. Oslo, Norway. AMAP, (2004). AMAP Assessment 2002: Persistent Organic Pollutants in the Arctic. Oslo, Norway. AMAP, (2005). Assessment 2002: Heavy Metals in the Arctic. Oslo, Norway. AMAP, (2006). Assessment 2006: Acidifying Pollutants, ArcticHaze, andAcidification in theArctic. Oslo, Norway. APHA, AWWA, WPCF (1975). Standard methods for the examination of water and wastewater. 14 Ed. (Washington, D.C: American Public HealthAssociation) Arshanitsa, N. M., Lesnikov, L., (1987). Pathology- morphological analyses of fish condition if field and experimental toxicological researches. (InVI. Lukjanenko (Eds.) Methods of ichthyologic researches. (7-9). Leningrad: GosNIORH. (InRussian) Bradley, R. A., Morris, J. R. (1986). Heavy metals in fish from a series ofmetal-contaminated lakes near Sudbury, Ontario. Water, Air and Soil Pollut., 27, 341-354. Cooley, H. M., Evans, R. E., Klavercamp, J. F. (2002). Baseline measurements of indicators for sub-lethal effects of metals in lake whitefish (Coregonus clupeaformis). Arch. Environ. Contam. Toxicol., 43, 418­ 424. Dauvalter, V. A., (1998). Concentration of metals in bottom sediments of acidified lakes. Water. Res., 25 (3), 358-365. (InRussian) Dauvalter, V. A., (1999) Regularities of sedimentation in water objects of European Subarctic environmental aspects of the problem). Dissertation, INEP KSC RAS Douben, P E. T. (1989). Uptake, elimination ofwaterborne cadmiumby the fish Noemacheilus barbatulus L. (stone loach). Arch. Envoron. Contam. Toxicol., 18, 576-586. Hakanson, L., (1980). An ecological risk index for aquatic pollution control-a sedimentological approach. Water Res., 14, 975-1001. Heath, A. G., (1987). Effect ofwaterborne copper or zinc on the osmoregulatory response of blue gill to a hypertonic Na-Cl challenge. Comp. Biochem. and Physiol., 88, 307-311. Kashulin, N. A. (1995). Fish populations condition in small lakes of the Kola north forest zone under aerotechnogenic pollution. (In T.I. Moiseenko & VA. Jakovlev (Eds.), Problems of chemical and biological monitoring of ecological state ofwater of the Kola north (pp. 120-143). Apatity: KSC RAS.) (InRussian) Kashulin, N. A., Lukin,A. A. andAmundsen, P.A., (1999). Fish of subarctic freshwater systems as bio-indicators ofindustrial pollution, (Apatity: KSC RAS) (InRussian) Kashulin, N. A., Dauvalter, V A., Sandimirov, S. S., Ratkin, N. E., Terentjev, P. M., Koroleva, I. M., Vandysh, O. I. 123