Ichthyotoxicology

One of the earliest reports on experimental ichthyotoxicology is by an unknown Japanese investigator and appeared in 1825 in the publication Toyen Shosetsu, in which the author related how he fed poisonous puffers to cats and dogs.

“Last scene in From Russia with Love, one of the great moments in ichthyotoxicology. British agent double-oh-seven utterly helpless, paralyzed and unconscious after a minute wound from a hidden knife.”

Therefore it was just the ichthyotoxicology to which the attention was focused in the framework of the first phase of aquatic toxicology development in Czechoslovakia. Recently the content of mercury is being evaluated in the other components of aquatic ecosystem.

Amongst his haul, Davis found a number of toxic and irritant ingredients. But it wasn't until his Mulderesque quest led him to the department of ichthyotoxicology that he learned the significance of an ingredient that turned out to be the vital one: the puffer fish.

For the scarce literature, concerning mainly acute toxicity, no hypotheses could be suggested for the effect of heavy metals on fish and the reasons and nature of this phenomenon. The knowledge of metal interactions, however, is of great theoretical and practical importance. That is why, investigations like these are essential and necessary for ichthyotoxicology.

Fish were sampled at the shallow part of the Kerch Strait, where the shipwreck brought to ecological emergency in 2007. There were used ichthyotoxicology, biochemistry and immunochemistry methods for the research of fish populations