Background/Methods

• Well established that copper damages vital sensory organs in aquatic life.

• Copper mining residue stamp sand poses a risk to habitats for Lake  Whitefish and Lake Trout.

• Commercial and recreational fishing, as well as tribal villages, have been impacted. 

• Various efforts to restore the reef over the past few years include removing a 25-foot-high stamp-sand ridge from the Lake Superior shoreline, dredging of a natural trough that is in Lake Superior north of the reef and dredging of Grand Traverse Harbor

• DASPEI primarily labels hair cell mitochondria but also labels the nerve to the neuromast. DASPEI will not label support cells and only labels a subpopulation of hair cells in the neuromast. 

Sand (18g) and Water (30 mL) – sand steeped over 3 days

Groups: 

1. 0% Stamp Sand - 18g of Aquarium Sand 

2. 50% Stamp Sand - 9g of Aquarium Sand & 9g of Stamp Sand

3. 100% Stamp Sand - 18g of Stamp Sand