Abstract
This paper deals with the acute toxicity of Sugar factory effluent on freshwater catfish, Mystus vittatus (Bloch),
at different concentration and duration of exposure on the mortality and ethological alterations. The LC50 for 96 hours of sugar
factory effluent for Mystus vittatus was 3.10% (v/v). The result also revealed that mortality rate depends upon concentrations
of effluent and duration of exposure. The effluent exposed test fish showed alterations in behavioural responses. The behavioural
alterations of Mystus vittatus during the present experiment was found to depend on both duration of exposure and increase in
concentration of the effluent and duration of exposure. The mortality rate was found to be directly proportional to the concentration
of effluent. Thus, the present revealed that fish, Mystus vittatus are sensitive to distillery wastewater and can be used as
biological indicators.