Pond Boss Forums MANAGING AN EXISTING POND Evaluating and adjusting fish populations Will rotenone kill fish only?

Will rotenone kill more than just the fish?
I thought I had read it kills anything with gills (not turtles or birds), but as it is also used as an insecticide I'm curious about amphibians with their sensitive skin- all the aquatic insects and crustaceans, etc.

Thanks!

Good questions! - which prompted my search for answers...

Rotenone Toxicity Study
"Fatal concentrations for the invertebrates studied are a factor of 10 to 100 higher than the piscicidal concentration used. Certain mayflies may be more sensitive.
As for amphibians, lethal concentrations of rotenone are species dependent, but in general amphibians are less sensitive than fish or invertebrates."

BTW, rotenone is one of the oldest known "insecticides" (alongside nicotine & nicotine sulfate).

Here is a section from the link below:
"Aquatic invertebrates have a wide range of sensitivity to rotenone with 96 hr LC50 values ranging from 0.002 to 100 ppm. A review of published laboratory toxicity tests showed the following general results: 1) there has been little rotenone toxicity work done on stream dwelling aquatic invertebrates, 2) there is a wide range of sensitivity both within and among taxonomic divisions, 3) benthic invertebrates appear less sensitive than planktonic invertebrates, 4) smaller invertebrates appear more sensitive than larger invertebrates, 5) aquatic invertebrates that use gills to extract aqueous oxygen appear more sensitive than invertebrates that acquire aqueous oxygen cutaneously, or through lamellae or spiracles, make use of respiratory pigments, or that can breathe atmospheric oxygen, 6) mortality was typically near 100% for rotenone formulation concentrations > 1 to 1.5 ppm for lotic invertebrates and > 3 ppm for many lentic or aquatic adult insect taxa (e.g., Heteroptera, Coleoptera) depending on the exposure time.

Keep in mind that this was a stream study which contains different species of invertebrates compared to typical lake/pond inhabitants. Lake and stream studies are cited in the report. Keep in mind that a rotenone treatment in a lake/pond results in a lot longer exposure to the chemical and a higher death rate of invertebrates compared to a stream treatment where the chemical gets rapidly flushed from the system after the treatment ends.
http://www.fws.gov/nevada/highlights/com..._Appendix_D.pdf

Generally recolonizaion is fairly rapid for winged invertebrates and slower for others such as crayfish, worms, amphipods, snails, clams, and some zooplankton.

Acute Toxicity of 5% Non-Synergized Emulsifiable Rotenone to White River Crayfish Procambarus acutus acutus and White Perch Morone americana by Donald Wujtewicz1, Bernard R. Petrosky1, Dorene L. Petrosky

Journal of the World Aquaculture Society
Volume 28, Issue 3, pages 249�259


Abstract
Annual drawdown of crayfish culture ponds to plant forage crops also serves to eradicate most predaceous finfish. Without annual drawdown predaceous fish populations may reach numbers that can significantly reduce the crayfish crop. Frequent drawdown may not be feasible or desirable in some management schemes. Evidence in the literature suggests that differential toxicity of rotenone would allow removal of fish without harming crayfish in the same pond. In the current study, laboratory and in situ acute toxicity bioassays (96 h) were conducted with 5% non-synergized emulsifiable rotenone to define the maximum non-lethal concentration (LC100) for white river crayfish Procambarus acutus acutus and the minimum lethal concentration (LC100) for white perch Morone americana. Six concentration levels of rotenone formulation were tested in each of six toxicity trials with crayfish using dechlorinated tap water at 21�25 C. LC0 (compensated for control mortality) was determined to be 3.0 mg/L. Significant crayfish mortality began at 4.0 mg/L. Acute toxicity to white perch was anticipated to be within recommended concentration levels on product label for similar fish, and was corroborated by laboratory bioassay (LC100 of 0.15 mg/L). Both species were then tested together in laboratory aquaria utilizing pond water at room temperature. Concentration levels of 0.05�2.5 mg/L killed all white perch with no crayfish mortality. In the final phase of the study a 1.0 mg/L concentration of rotenone was applied to a pond containing both species held in cages. All white perch were dead within 24 h; no crayfish mortality was observed for the 96-h duration of the trial. It may therefore be possible to use this rotenone formulation to control white perch and other finfish in active crayfish culture ponds.