Heat Tolerance Of Free-Living Estuarine Animals To Predict Their Survival In Heated Effluents

Individual heat resistance times were determined in 180 min experiments during June 1974 through September 1975 for 8 species of crustaceans and 47 fishes taken directly from the intake canal of the P. H. Robinson Generating Station, Bacliff, Texas. Indi· vidual r,esistance times increased with an increase in capture temperature and with a decrease in test temperature. June-September is the most thermally critical period of the year for animals transported by the power plant from intake water and exposed to hot discharge effluent. During the rest of the year, nearly all organisms survived 3 h at temperatures higher than average discharge canal temperature.