Arsenic in the water, sediment and fish in the Neretva River Delta, Croatia

Abstract

The Neretva River Delta in Croatia is under constant threat of pollution from various sources along the river watercourse, such as the aluminium industry and bauxite mining, intensive agriculture and untreated sewage from towns. The area is also an important fishing ground and food source for the local residents, whereby the suitability of fish for human consumption is always in question. In this paper the presence of arsenic from six sources was analysed: in water, sediment and fish organs (kidneys, liver, muscles and gonads) of 11 fish species: Lepomis gibbosus, Carassius auratus gibelio, Cyprinus carpio, Anguilla anguilla, Ameiurus nebulosus, Mugil cephalus, Leuciscus svallize, Oncorhynchus mykiss, Salmo trutta, Tinca tinca and Scardinius plotiza. The research showed that arsenic concentrations varied significantly from one source to another in the water, sediment and organs of different fish species. Average concentrations in water and sediment were 18.1 lg L )1 and 32.7 lg kg )1 , respectively. Average arsenic levels in the fish organs were 115.9, 105.8, 76.1 and 61.9 lg kg )1 in muscles, kidneys, gonads and livers, respectively. These values are below legally permitted concentrations, although individuals with higher than average concentrations were recorded.

Potentially Toxic Elements in Water, Sediments and Fish from the Karstic River (Raša River, Croatia) Located in the Former Coal-Mining Area

“…However, in this study, eels had comparatively higher levels only of Cd, Cr, Na and Se in their muscle, while at the same time the concentrations of As, Cu, Fe, K, Mg, Mn, Mo and Sr were the lowest compared to other analyzed species. Our results are in good agreement with results of Has-Schon et al [ 56 ] and Bukvić et al [ 57 ] for the Neretva River and Rakočević et al [ 45 ] for Skadar Lake, in which eels often had lower concentrations of some elements in comparison to other species. Generally, our results showed that no species had the highest concentrations of all metals ( Table 4 ), indicating that trophic levels and feeding location were not good predictors of element levels, probably because the trophic levels of the analyzed species in this study varied within a relatively narrow range from 2.47 ( P. carp ) to 3.55 ( E. eel ).…”

“…Generally, our results showed that no species had the highest concentrations of all metals ( Table 4 ), indicating that trophic levels and feeding location were not good predictors of element levels, probably because the trophic levels of the analyzed species in this study varied within a relatively narrow range from 2.47 ( P. carp ) to 3.55 ( E. eel ). The highest As values in the flathead grey mullet, which have also been recorded previously [ 55 , 56 , 57 ], could be expected given that marine fish generally have significantly higher concentrations of organic As species in comparison to freshwater species from unpolluted environments [ 58 ]. In addition, IMBI values in the muscles of six fish species (0.130–0.572) also significantly differed between species ( Table 4 ).…”

“…Regardless of the differences between species and indications of rare spatial differences, the overall element levels in the muscle tissues of six fish species from the Raša River were comparable to or lower than the reported data for low-contaminated freshwater systems [ 9 , 19 , 27 , 43 , 44 , 45 , 51 , 52 , 53 , 54 , 55 , 56 , 57 , 74 , 76 , 80 , 81 , 82 , 83 , 84 , 85 , 86 , 87 , 88 , 89 , 90 , 91 , 92 , 93 , 94 , 95 , 96 , 97 , 98 , 99 , 100 , 101 , 102 , 103 , 104 , 105 , 106 , 107 , 108 , 109 , 110 , 111 , 112 , 113 , 114 , 115 , 116 ,…”

Wasted Biomaterials from Crustaceans as a Compliant Natural Product Regarding Microbiological, Antibacterial Properties and Heavy Metal Content for Reuse in Blue Bioeconomy: A Preliminary Study

“…Accumulation of As and Cd exceeding the level of the current regulation was observed in the crab shells. The sediment arsenic content in the current crabs’ collection site was recently reported between 18.7 and 47.2 mg kg −1 [ 21 ]; since crabs are bottom-dwelling animals, the relatively high As content in crab shells of 22.5 to 46.1 mg kg −1 was not so surprising. The wind-borne pollution can explain shell cadmium content from a bauxite terminal in the vicinity of the collection site.…”

The Historical Trends and Recent Collapse of European Eel, Anguilla anguilla Fishery in the Neretva Estuary (Eastern Adriatic, Croatia)

“…Among other factors, the introduction and high incidence of the swim bladder parasite [5]. and pollution from agriculture, upstream industries, and mining [25]. have already been mentioned.…”