Trace metals (Cu, Zn, Cd and Pb) in juvenile fish from estuarine nurseries along the Portuguese coast

Rita P. Vasconcelos; Patrick Reis-Santos; Anabela Maia; Miguel Ruano; Maria J. Costa; Henrique N. Cabral

doi:10.3989/scimar.2011.75n1155

Authors

Rita P. Vasconcelos Centro de Oceanografia, Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade de Lisboa
Patrick Reis-Santos Centro de Oceanografia, Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade de Lisboa
Anabela Maia Centro de Oceanografia, Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade de Lisboa - Department of Biological Sciences
Miguel Ruano Centro de Oceanografia, Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade de Lisboa - University of Tokyo
Maria J. Costa Centro de Oceanografia, Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade de Lisboa - Departamento de Biologia Animal, Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade de Lisboa
Henrique N. Cabral Centro de Oceanografia, Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade de Lisboa - Departamento de Biologia Animal, Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade de Lisboa

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.3989/scimar.2011.75n1155

Keywords:

juveniles, nursery grounds, populations, anthropogenic effects, heavy metals

Abstract

Organic and inorganic pollution can impact organisms directly and affect condition, growth and survival of juvenile fish which use estuaries as nurseries, and thereby affect marine adult populations quantitatively and qualitatively. Trace element contamination (Cu, Zn, Cd, Pb) in juveniles of commercial fish Solea solea, Solea senegalensis, Platichthys flesus, Diplodus vulgaris and Dicentrarchus labrax collected in putative nurseries of the main Portuguese estuaries (with diverse intensities and sources of anthropogenic pressures) was determined via atomic absorption spectrometry. Contamination was significantly different among species. Similar levels of contamination were found among estuaries, except for D. vulgaris. Cu and Zn concentrations ranged from 1.0 to 2.1 and 14 to 59 μg g-1 muscle dry weight respectively; while Cd and Pb concentrations were very low. The results indicate that juvenile migration to off-shore habitats is associated with low export of contamination, and no particular estuary increases the potential contamination of adult stocks. This knowledge is of the utmost importance in view of the ecological and economical value of these species and their use of estuarine areas as nurseries.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

Able, K.W. – 2005. A re-examination of fish estuarine dependence: Evidence for connectivity between estuarine and ocean habitats. Est. Coast. Shelf Sci., 64(1): 5-17. doi:10.1016/j.ecss.2005.02.002

Amara, R., T. Meziane, C. Gilliers, G. Hermel and P. Laffargue. – 2007. Growth and condition indices in juvenile sole Solea solea measured to assess the quality of essential fish habitat. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser., 351: 201-208. doi:10.3354/meps07154

Amiard, J.C., C. Amiard-Triquet, B. Berthet and C. Métayer. – 1987. Comparative study of the patterns of bioaccumulation of essential (Cu, Zn) and non-essential (Cd, Pb) trace metals in various estuarine and coastal organisms. J. Exp. Mar. Biol. Ecol., 106(1): 73-89. doi:10.1016/0022-0981(87)90148-1

Barwick, M. and W. Maher. – 2003. Biotransference and biomagnification of selenium copper, cadmium, zinc, arsenic and lead in a temperate seagrass ecosystem from Lake Macquarie Estuary, NSW, Australia. Mar. Environ. Res., 56(4): 471-502. doi:10.1016/S0141-1136(03)00028-X

Beck, M.W., K.L. Heck, K.W. Able, D.L. Childers, D.B. Eggleston, B.M. Gillanders, B. Halpern, C.G. Hays, K. Hoshino, T.J. Minello, R.J. Orth, P.F. Sheridan and M.R. Weinstein. – 2001. The identification, conservation and management of estuarine and marine nurseries for fish and invertebrates. BioScience, 51(8): 633-641. doi:10.1641/0006-3568(2001)051[0633:TICAMO]2.0.CO;2

Beinert, H. – 1996. Copper in biological systems. A report from the 7th Manzania Conference, held at Santa Severa, September 11-15, 1995. J. Inorg. Biochem., 64(2): 79-135. doi:10.1016/0162-0134(96)00083-9

Berge, J.A. and E.M. Brevik. – 1996. Uptake of metals and persistent organochlorines in crabs (Cancer pagurus) and flounder (Platichthys flesus) from contaminated sediments: mesocosm and field experiments. Mar. Pollut. Bull., 33(1-6): 46-55.

Beyer, J., M. Sandvik, K. Hylland, E. Fjeld, E. Egaas, E. Aas, J.U. Skåre and A. Goksoyr. – 1996. Contaminant accumulation and biomarker responses in flounder (Platichthys flesus L.) and Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua L.) exposed by caging to polluted sediments in Sarrfjorden, Norway. Aquat. Toxicol., 36(1-2): 75-98. doi:10.1016/S0166-445X(96)00798-9

Bolton, J.L., C.M. Stehr, D.T. Boyd, D.G. Burrows, A.V. Tkalin and T.S. Lishavskaya. – 2004. Organic and trace metal contaminants in sediments and English sole tissues from Vancouver Harbour, Canada. Mar. Environ. Res., 57(1-2): 19-36. doi:10.1016/S0141-1136(03)00058-8

Bragigand, V., B. Berthet, J.C. Amiard and P.S. Rainbow. – 2004. Estimates of trace metal bioavailability to humans ingesting contaminated oysters. Food Chem. Toxicol., 42(11): 1893-902. doi:10.1016/j.fct.2004.07.011 PMid:15350688

Cabral, H.N., R.P. Vasconcelos, C. Vinagre, S. França, V. Fonseca, A. Maia, P. Reis-Santos, M. Lopes, M. Ruano, J. Campos, V. Freitas, P.T. Santos and M.J. Costa. – 2007. Relative importance of estuarine flatfish nurseries along the Portuguese coast. J. Sea Res., 57(2-3): 209-217. doi:10.1016/j.seares.2006.08.007

Caeiro, S., M.H. Costa, T.B. Ramos, F. Fernandes, N. Silveira, A. Coimbra, G. Medeiros and M. Painho. – 2005. Assessing heavy metal contamination in Sado Estuary sediment: An index analysis approach. Ecol. Indic., 5(2): 151-169. doi:10.1016/j.ecolind.2005.02.001

Cardoso, I., J.P. Granadeiro and H.N. Cabral. – 2008. Benthic prey quantity and quality in the main mudflat feeding areas of the Tagus Estuary: Implications for bird and fish populations. Cienc. Mar., 34(3): 283-296.

Carvalho, M.L., S. Santiago and M.L. Nunes. – 2005. Assessment of the essential element and heavy metal content of edible fish muscle. Anal. Bioanal. Chem., 382(2): 426-432. doi:10.1007/s00216-004-3005-3 PMid:15830192

Cortesão, C. and C. Vale. – 1995. Metals in sediments of the Sado estuary, Portugal. Mar. Pollut. Bull., 30(1): 34-37.

DelValls, T.A., J. Blasco, M.C. Sarasquete, J.M. Forja and A. Gomez-Parra. – 1998. Evaluation of heavy metal sediment toxicity in littoral ecosystems using juveniles of the fish Sparus aurata. Ecotoxicol. Environ. Saf., 41(2): 157-167. doi:10.1006/eesa.1998.1680 PMid:9756703

Durrieu, G., R. Maury-Brachet, M. Girardin, E. Rochard and A. Boudou. – 2005. Contamination by heavy metals (Cd, Zn, Cu, and Hg) of eight fish species in the Gironde estuary (France). Estuaries, 28(4): 581-591. doi:10.1007/BF02696069

Fonseca, V., A. Serafim, R. Company, M.J. Bebianno and H.N. Cabral. – 2009. Effect of copper exposure on growth, condition indices and biomarker response in juvenile sole Solea senegalensis. Sci. Mar., 73(1): 51-58.

França, S., C. Vinagre, I. Caçador and H.N. Cabral. – 2005. Heavy metal concentrations in sediment, benthic invertebrates and fish in three salt marsh areas subjected to different pollution loads in the Tagus Estuary (Portugal). Mar. Pollut. Bull., 50(9): 993-1018.

Gamito, R. and H.N. Cabral. – 2003. Mortality of brown-shrimp discards from the beam trawl fishery in the Tagus estuary, Portugal. Fish. Res., 63(3): 423-427. doi:10.1016/S0165-7836(03)00108-5

Gibson, R.N. – 1994. Impact of habitat quality and quantity on the recruitment of juvenile fishes. Neth. J. Sea Res., 32(2): 191-206. doi:10.1016/0077-7579(94)90040-X

Goldberg, E.D. – 1995. Emerging problems in the coastal zone for the twentyfirst century. Mar. Pollut. Bull., 31(4-12): 152-158.

Henry, F., R. Amara, L. Courcot, D. Lacouture and M.L. Bertho. – 2004. Heavy metals in four fish species from the French coast of the Eastern English Channel and Southern Bight of the North Sea. Environ. Int., 30(5): 675-683. doi:10.1016/j.envint.2003.12.007 PMid:15051244

Johnson, L.L., J.T. Landahl, L.A. Kubin, B.H. Horness, M.S. Myers, T.K. Collier and J.E. Stein. – 1998. Assessing the effects of anthropogenic stressors on Puget Sound flatfish populations. J. Sea Res., 39(1-2): 125-137. doi:10.1016/S1385-1101(97)00057-9

Julshamn, K., O. Ringdal, K.E. Slinning and O. Braekan. – 1982. Optimization of the determination of selenium in marine samples by atomic absortion spectrometry: Comparison of a flame less graphite furnace atomic absorption system with a hydride generation atomic absorption system. Spectroch. Acta, 37B(6): 473-482.

Kennish, M.J. – 2002. Environmental threats and environmental future of estuaries. Environ. Conserv., 29(1): 78-107.

Le Pape, O., C. Gilliers, P. Riou, J. Morin, R. Amara and Y. Désaunay.– 2007. Convergent signs of degradation in both the capacity and the quality of an essential fish habitat: state of the Seine estuary (France) flatfish nurseries. Hydrobiologia, 588: 225-229. doi:10.1007/s10750-007-0665-y

Livingstone, D.R. – 2001. Contaminant-stimulated reactive oxygen species production and oxidative damage in aquatic organisms. Mar. Pollut. Bull., 42(8): 656-666. doi:10.1016/S0025-326X(01)00060-1

Long, E.R., D.D. Macdonald, S.L. Smith and F.D. Calder. – 1995. Incidence of adverse biological effects within ranges of chemical concentrations in marine and estuarine sediments. Environ. Manage., 19(1): 81-97. doi:10.1007/BF02472006

Marchand, J., A. Tanguy, J. Laroche, L. Quiniou and D. Moraga. – 2003. Responses of European flounder Platichthys flesus populations to contamination in different estuaries along the Atlantic coast of France. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser., 260: 273-284. doi:10.3354/meps260273

Meng, L., J.C. Powell and B. Taplin. – 2001. Using winter flounder growth rates to assess habitat quality across an anthropogenic gradient in Narragansett Bay, Rhode Island. Estuaries, 24(4): 576-584. doi:10.2307/1353258

Miramand, P., D. Fichet, D. Bentley, J.C. Guary and F. Caurant. – 1998. Heavy metal concentrations (Cd, Cu, Pb, Zn) at different levels of the pelagic trophic web collected along the gradient of salinity in the Seine estuary. C. R. Acad. Sci. Paris, Serie II, Fascicule A. - Sciences de la terre et des planètes, 327(4): 259-264.

Monterroso, P., P. Pato, E. Pereira, C. Vale and A.C. Duarte. – 2003. Distribution and accumulation of metals (Cu, Cd, Zn and Pb) in sediments of a lagoon on the northwestern coast of Portugal. Mar. Pollut. Bull., 46(9): 1200-1211. doi:10.1016/S0025-326X(03)00243-1

Monterroso, P., P. Pato, M.E. Pereira, G.E. Millward, C. Vale and A. Duarte. – 2007. Metal-contaminated sediments in a semi-closed basin: Implications for recovery. Est. Coast. Shelf Sci., 71(1-2): 148-158. doi:10.1016/j.ecss.2006.07.005

Mucha, A.P., M.T.S.D. Vasconcelos and A.A. Bordalo. – 2005. Spatial and seasonal variations of the macrobenthic community and metal contamination in the Douro estuary (Portugal). Mar. Environ. Res., 60(5): 531-550. doi:10.1016/j.marenvres.2004.12.004 PMid:15919109

Neff, J.M. – 2002. Bioaccumulation in Marine Organisms. Elsevier, Oxford.

Padinha, C., R. Santos and M.T Brown. – 2000. Evaluating environmental contamination in Ria Formosa (Portugal) using stress indexes of Spartina maritime. Mar. Environ. Res., 49(1): 67-78. doi:10.1016/S0141-1136(99)00049-5

Pereira, P., C. Vale, A.M. Ferreira, E. Pereira, M.A. Pardal and J.C. Marques. – 2005. Seasonal variation of surface sediments composition in Mondego river estuary. J. Environ. Sci. Health., A, 40(2): 317-329. doi:10.1081/ESE-200045539

Reis-Santos, P., R.P. Vasconcelos, M. Ruano, C. Latkoczy, D. Günther, M.J. Costa and H. Cabral. – 2008. Interspecific variations of otolith chemistry in estuarine fish nurseries. J. Fish Biol., 72(10): 2595-2614. doi:10.1111/j.1095-8649.2008.01871.x

Ruiz, F. – 2001 Trace metals in estuarine sediments from the south-western coast of Spain. Mar. Pollut. Bull., 42(6): 482-490. PMid:11468926

Usero, J., C. Izquierdo, J. Morillo and I. Gracia. – 2003. Heavy metals in fish (Solea vulgaris, Anguilla anguilla and Liza aurata) from salt marshes on the southern Atlantic coast of Spain. Environ. Int., 29(7): 949-956.

Vallee, B.L. and D.S. Auld. – 1990. Zinc coordination, function and structure of zinc enzymes and other proteins. Biochemistry, 29(24): 5647-5659. doi:10.1021/bi00476a001 PMid:2200508

van der Oost, R., J. Beyer and N.P.E. Vermeulen. – 2003. Fish bioaccumulation and biomarkers in environmental risk assessment: a review. Environ. Toxicol. Pharmacol., 13(2): 57-149. doi:10.1016/S1382-6689(02)00126-6

van der Veer, H.W., R. Berghanhn and A.D. Rijnsdorp. – 1994. Impact of juvenile growth on recruitment in flatfish. Neth. J. Sea Res., 32(2): 153-173. doi:10.1016/0077-7579(94)90038-8

Vasconcelos, R.P., P. Reis-Santos, V. Fonseca, A. Maia, M. Ruano, S. França, C. Vinagre, M.J. Costa and H. Cabral. – 2007. Assessing anthropogenic pressures on estuarine fish nurseries along the Portuguese coast: a multi-metric index and conceptual approach. Sci. Total Environ., 374(2-3): 199-215. doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2006.12.048 PMid:17292947

Vasconcelos, R.P., P. Reis-Santos, S. Tanner, A. Maia, C. Latkoczy, D. Gu.nther, M.J. Costa and H. Cabral. – 2008. Evidence of estuarine nursery origin of five coastal fish species along the Portuguese coast through otolith elemental fingerprints. Est. Coast. Shelf Sci., 79(2): 317-327. doi:10.1016/j.ecss.2008.04.006

Vasconcelos, R.P., P. Reis-Santos, A. Maia, V. Fonseca, S. França, N. Wouters, M.J. Costa and H.N. Cabral. – 2010. Nursery use patterns of commercially important marine fish species in estuarine systems along the Portuguese coast. Est. Coast. Shelf Sci., 86(4): 613-624. doi:10.1016/j.ecss.2009.11.029

Vinagre, C., S. França, I. Caçador and H.N. Cabral. – 2004. Accumulation of heavy metals by flounder, Platichthys flesus (Linnaeus 1758), in a heterogeneously contaminated nursery area. Mar. Pollut. Bull., 49(11-12): 1109-1126. doi:10.1016/j.marpolbul.2004.08.021 PMid:15556199

Zhang, L. and W.X. Wang. – 2007. Size-dependence of the potential for metal biomagnification in early life stages of marine fish. Environ. Toxicol. Chem., 26 (4): 787-794. doi:10.1897/06-348R.1 PMid:17447565