The results obtained indicate that the deposition of absorbed hydrocarbons in different segments of the muscle tissue of the sea mullet is proportional to the lipid content of the segment. However the results give no clear indication as to whether the total lipid content of the muscle tissue of individual fish influences the uptake of hydrocarbons from the environment. Evidence has been presented for different rates of metabolism of the n-alkanes as compared to the iso-alkanes and related compounds. Metabolic processes in the sea mullet result in the preferential degradation of the n-alkanes leaving a hydrocarbon mixture in the sea mullet enriched with iso-alkanes and related compounds.
A kerosene-like taint in sea mullet (Mugil cephalus) from south Queensland has been found to be due to a mixture of hydrocarbons closely resembling commercial kerosene in composition. Similar substances were isolated from sediments in certain areas of the Brisbane River and from effluents discharging into one of these areas. Hydrocarbon-containing sediments, consumed with food, were found in the gut of tainted sea mullet captured in the Brisbane River and are believed to cause kerosene-like tainting in the flesh. However, the presence of hydrocarbons in river water indicates the possibility of absorption through the gills. It is suggested that tainted fish from the Brisbane River join untainted fish from other rivers in the winter spawning run northwards. This may explain the capture of tainted fish, together with untainted fish, during the winter period when the commercial mullet fishery is at its maximum intensity.
Samples of the bream M. australis from an area approximately 4 km north of the Brisbane River mouth have been found to contain a mixture of kerosene-like hydrocarbons. Capillary column gas chromotagraphy and gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry permitted the unequivocal identification of a series of n-alkanes in this mixture. The kerosene-like mixture of hydrocarbons is believed to cause a taint in the flesh of the fish.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.