Reduction in swimming performance in juvenile rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) following sublethal exposure to pyrethroid insecticides.

While the lethal toxicity of pyrethroid insecticides to fish is well documented, their sublethal physio-behavioral effects remain poorly characterized. Known pyrethroid-associated changes to insect neuromuscular function may translate into similar effects in fish, thereby altering swimming ability and affecting foraging, predator avoidance, and migration. Three experiments were conducted using critical (Ucrit) and burst (Umax) swimming speeds to assess the sublethal effects of the pyrethroids permethrin and deltamethrin in juvenile rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss).