Muscular and Hepatic Pollution Biomarkers in the Fishes Phycis blennoides and Micromesistius poutassou and the Crustacean Aristeus antennatus in the Blanes Submarine Canyon (NW Mediterranean)

Abstract

Submarine canyons are regarded as a sink for pollutants. In order to determine if this theory applied to deep-sea species from an important fishing ground (the Blanes submarine canyon) located in the NW Mediterranean, we sampled the commercial fish Phycis blennoides and Micromesistius poutassou and the crustacean Aristeus antennatus. Specimens were sampled inside and outside (in the open continental slope) the submarine canyon; both are regarded as potentially affected by exposure to different anthropogenic chemicals. Several pollution biomarkers in muscle (activity of cholinesterases) and liver/hepatopancreas (catalase, glutathione S-transferases, carboxylesterases, ethoxyresorufin O-deethylase in fish or mixed function oxygenase (MFO)-related reductases in crustacean, and lipid peroxidation levels) were measured. Chemical analysis of the persistent organic pollutants, namely polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethanes (DDTs) and hexachlorocyclohexanes (HCHs) was also performed on the fish and crustacean muscle. Biomarker activities and levels were discussed in relation to pollutant exposure, habitat, and parameters including sex, size, and species. Biochemical responses and chemical analysis of PCBs evidenced interspecies differences as well as sex and size-related ones, mainly in A. antennatus. An indication of higher exposure to pollutants inside the canyon was observed, which was more clearly reflected in the fish than in the crustacean. However, further research is required to confirm this observation.

Assessment of the effects of confinement in the spider crabMaja brachydactylaBlass, 1922 broodstock

“…In a comparative attempt with other decapod crustacean that used the same analytical procedures, it appears that M. brachydactyla expresses, in general, lower enzymatic activities than the Norway lobster Nephrops norvegicus (Linnaeus, 1758) and the rose shrimp Aristeus antennatus (Risso, 1816) as far as antioxidant defences are concerned, while its GST activity is intermediate to that in A. antennatus and N. norvegicus (Antó et al 2009). The lack of Bu-ChE in this species seems to be a common feature to other decapod crustaceans (Solé, García de la Parra, Alejandre-Grimaldo & Sardá 2006;Antó et al 2009;Solé, Hambach, Cortijo, Huertas, Fernández & Company 2009), as well as a good relationship between AChE and PrChE. Thus, in further works, the study of only one form is recommended.…”

Hepatic biomarkers of xenobiotic metabolism in eighteen marine fish from NW Mediterranean shelf and slope waters in relation to some of their biological and ecological variables

“…The NW Mediterranean shelf and slope are subject to intense fisheries, and the occurrence of anthropogenic chemicals in their waters/sediment/biota has been well studied within the Mediterranean context (Albaigés et al, 2005;Gómez-Gutiérrez, 2007). Nevertheless, studies reporting the effects of chemicals on commercial fish are scarce as most of them focus on the sentinel red mullet in coastal sites (Porte et al, 2002;Martin-Skilton et al, 2006;Zorita et al, 2008), with less attention being paid to species from fishing grounds (García de la Parra et al, 2000;Solé et al, 2006;2009a;2009b). Thus, we have investigated the presence of organic pollutants (PAHs, PCBs and DDTs) in sediment from two areas:…”

Variability of PCB burden in 5 fish and sharks species of the French Mediterranean continental slope

“…This is notably true for L. boscii, a flatfish exposed to contamination through its diet but also through its skin in direct contact with sediment . Regarding, P. blennoides, this species is sometimes nicknamed "sea-rat" since it is classically observed in highly-polluted environments and is commonly included in contamination studies al., , 2009a, 2009bInsausti et al, 2009;Cresson et al, 2014). Strong detoxifying activity was previously measured in P. blennoides and was proposed as an adaptive mechanism developed to cope with repeated exposure to contaminant 2000; Solé et al, 2006).…”