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ABSTRACT
Atrazine (ATZ) is one of the most widely used pesticide in Nigeria. Several studies have shown the toxic effects of this herbicide on aquatic organisms such as fish. Thus, it is critical to identify mitigation options aimed at protecting the health of fish, particularly commercially important aquaculture species that may be exposed to atrazine from agricultural runoff. This study was conducted to investigate the combined effect of atrazine and Vitamin C (Vit C) on the behaviour and growth performance of Clarias gariepinus juveniles. Two weeks old juveniles of C. gariepinus were exposed to environmentally relevant concentrations of 10, 20, and 30 µg L-1 atrazine in a quality-controlled 28-day static renewal bioassay. Growth performance was assessed weekly and fish samples were taken from different tanks to determine the relative growth rate, specific growth rate, condition factor and behaviour. Significant reduction (p<0.05) was observed in the specific growth rate (SGR) and the relative growth rate (RGR) with increasing concentration of Atrazine treatment. Atrazine exposure also resulted in behavioural anomalies including erratic swimming, clinging to the water surface, loss of equilibrium, lethargy, and discolouration. However, co-exposure with Vit C did not significantly improve the growth performance or ameliorate the observed behavioral impairments. Findings from this study, therefore, indicate that atrazine interfere with normal behaviour and growth performance of C. gariepinus juveniles. Furthermore, the antioxidant property of Vit C did not significantly abate the toxicity of atrazine in the exposed fish.
