European eels and heavy metals from the Mar Menor lagoon (SE Spain)

Romero, Diego; Barcala, Elena; María-Dolores, Emilio; Muñoz, Pilar

doi:10.1016/j.marpolbul.2020.111368

Cited by 17 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 76 publications

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“…The lowest concentration of this heavy metal was found in muscles [e.g., 8, present study]. The muscles of silver European eel females, as determined in this study, were found to contain 0.001 ± 0.000 mg kg −1 wet weight (range from 0.0004 to 0.0028), which is much less than in eels in Mar Menor (SE Spain): 0.002 ± 0.001 (nd-0.047) mg kg −1 wet weight [18] and Hutovo Blato (Bosnia and Herzegovina): 0.02 ± 0.003 (0.016-0.026) mg kg −1 wet weight [8]. The muscles of European eels caught in the waters of France were found to contain less cadmium by as much as 10 and 45 µg g −1 dry weight in the liver and kidneys, respectively [17].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 49%

“…Cadmium concentrations in tissues of wild fish, especially those closer to the top of the trophic chain, can be quite high and they can be harmful not only to the fish health, but also to the effective continuation of the species as a result of reproductive function disorders [12,[14][15][16]. The eel is a critically endangered fish species with high susceptibility to heavy metals and organic pollutants (like polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT), or their breakdown products) exposure [17][18][19].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In the late 20th century, the population of this fish declined by about 90% [21] and the species was added to the list of critically endangered animals [22]. This has been attributed to overfishing, obstacles the fish encounter on their migration routes (weirs, dams), infestation with the nematode Anguillcoloides crassus, as well as high levels of contamination accumulated in the animals [18,22]. Developing methods for artificial reproduction [23][24][25][26] and regular stocking [27] is among the ways of preserving the European eel in the natural environment.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Changes in Cadmium Concentration in Muscles, Ovaries, and Eggs of Silver European Eel (Anguilla anguilla) during Maturation under Controlled Conditions

Nowosad

Kucharczyk

Szmyt

et al. 2021

Animals

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This study determined the contents of cadmium (Cd) in the muscles, ovaries, and eggs of silver female European eels. The analysis of cadmium content was performed on female European eels caught during commercial fishing in freshwater in Warmia and Mazury (Poland), and then subjected to artificial maturation and ovulation processing under controlled conditions. The content of cadmium (Cd) in the tissues was determined by flameless atomic spectrometry using an electrothermal atomizer. The analysis showed statistically significant differences between the cadmium content in the muscles, ovaries, and eggs (p < 0.05) of female European eels. The lowest cadmium content was found in the muscle tissue (0.0012 ± 0.0001 mg kg−1 wet weight) and the highest in eggs (after ovulation) (0.0038 ± 0.0007 mg kg−1 wet weight). Moreover, a relationship was found between the cadmium content in the muscle tissue and the ovaries (R = 0.673; p = 0.0117) in the same fish. The movement of cadmium from tissues to oocytes may indicate a significant problem concerning this heavy metal content in the reproduction of European eel.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 49%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Changes in Cadmium Concentration in Muscles, Ovaries, and Eggs of Silver European Eel (Anguilla anguilla) during Maturation under Controlled Conditions

Nowosad

Kucharczyk

Szmyt

et al. 2021

Animals

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“…The Mar Menor, located in the southeast of Spain ( Figure 1 ), is the largest hypersaline (i.e., 42–47 psu) coastal lagoon in Europe and provides a paradigmatic example of a coastal marine ecosystem that is highly valuable yet strongly altered by several anthropogenic factors ( Marín-Guirao et al, 2005 ; Conesa and Jiménez-Cárceles, 2007 ; León et al, 2013 , 2017 , 2018 ; Jiménez-Martinez et al, 2016 ; Romero et al, 2020 ). In the 1970s, one inlet (El Estacio channel) connecting the lagoon with the Mediterranean Sea was broadened ( Mas, 1994 ), drastically changing the hydrodynamic regime and decreasing the lagoon temperature and salinity toward the values closer to those typically measured in the adjacent Mediterranean Sea (37 psu).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Furthermore, due to the past extractive activity in the Cartagena-La Unión mining district, located close to the southern basin ( Conesa and Schulin, 2010 ), PTEs such as Pb, Zn, Cd, and As have been loaded into the lagoon by hydric and aeolian erosion and surface and subsurface runoffs. These PTEs accumulate in the sediment ( Simonneau, 1973 ; García and Muñoz-Vera, 2015 ) or are taken up by vegetation and fauna ( Serrano et al, 2019 ; Romero et al, 2020 ). In addition, the increase in tourism activity since the 1960s, and the effects of intensive agriculture since the 1970s, have deeply transformed the surrounding territory and poured huge amounts of sediments, nutrients, and contaminants into the lagoon ( Jiménez-Martinez et al, 2016 ; Pérez-Ruzafa et al, 2019 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Factors structuring microbial communities in highly impacted coastal marine sediments (Mar Menor lagoon, SE Spain)

et al. 2022

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Coastal marine lagoons are environments highly vulnerable to anthropogenic pressures such as agriculture nutrient loading or runoff from metalliferous mining. Sediment microorganisms, which are key components in the biogeochemical cycles, can help attenuate these impacts by accumulating nutrients and pollutants. The Mar Menor, located in the southeast of Spain, is an example of a coastal lagoon strongly altered by anthropic pressures, but the microbial community inhabiting its sediments remains unknown. Here, we describe the sediment prokaryotic communities along a wide range of environmental conditions in the lagoon, revealing that microbial communities were highly heterogeneous among stations, although a core microbiome was detected. The microbiota was dominated by Delta- and Gammaproteobacteria and members of the Bacteroidia class. Additionally, several uncultured groups such as Asgardarchaeota were detected in relatively high proportions. Sediment texture, the presence of Caulerpa or Cymodocea, depth, and geographic location were among the most important factors structuring microbial assemblages. Furthermore, microbial communities in the stations with the highest concentrations of potentially toxic elements (Fe, Pb, As, Zn, and Cd) were less stable than those in the non-contaminated stations. This finding suggests that bacteria colonizing heavily contaminated stations are specialists sensitive to change.

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The impact of chemical pollution on the European eel (Anguilla anguilla) from a Mediterranean hypersaline coastal lagoon

Martínez-Gómez

Fernández

Barcala

et al. 2023

Environ Sci Pollut Res

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The European eel (Anguilla anguilla) is a critically endangered species. The impact of environmental contamination on this species has been highlighted as contributing to the decline in recruitment. The Mar Menor hypersaline coastal lagoon (SE Spain) is one of the most productive fisheries of European eel in Europe, making it a critical habitat for species conservation. The present study aimed to provide an initial overview of the impact of organic chemical contaminants on the European eel and the potential sublethal effects of chemical pollution on pre-migrating eels in this hypersaline habitat. We investigated muscle bioaccumulation of main persistent and hazardous organic contaminants (including some current-use pesticides) and genotoxicity, neurotoxicity, and xenobiotic detoxification system responses. The findings show that lagoon eels were exposed to high levels of legacy organochlorine contaminants, recently banned pesticides (chlorpyrifos), and some emerging chemicals. Some individuals surpassed the maximum levels of CBs authorized by the European Commission for human consumption. In this species, residuals of chlorpyrifos, pendimethalin, and chlorthal dimethyl have been reported for the first time. This field study provides relevant data to stock management and human health consumption and provides the first biomarker responses in European eel under permanent hypersaline conditions. Furthermore, the high frequency of micronuclei in peripheral erythrocytes of lagoon eels indicates sublethal genotoxic effects on the organism. Overall, the European eels growing and maturing in the Mar Menor lagoon are exposed to toxic and carcinogenic chemicals. The lack of seafood safety regulations for human consumption for some legacy chemicals that were measured in high concentrations in our study requires special action. Further biomonitoring and research are recommended to protect the animal, public, and environmental health.

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European eels and heavy metals from the Mar Menor lagoon (SE Spain)

Cited by 17 publications

References 76 publications

Changes in Cadmium Concentration in Muscles, Ovaries, and Eggs of Silver European Eel (Anguilla anguilla) during Maturation under Controlled Conditions

Changes in Cadmium Concentration in Muscles, Ovaries, and Eggs of Silver European Eel (Anguilla anguilla) during Maturation under Controlled Conditions

Factors structuring microbial communities in highly impacted coastal marine sediments (Mar Menor lagoon, SE Spain)

The impact of chemical pollution on the European eel (Anguilla anguilla) from a Mediterranean hypersaline coastal lagoon

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