Examination of spotted sand bass (Paralabrax maculatofasciatus) pollutant bioaccumulation in San Diego Bay, San Diego, California

Abstract

The spotted sand bass (Paralabrax maculatofasciatus) is an important recreational sport and subsistence food fish within San Diego Bay, a large industrialized harbor in San Diego, California. Despite this importance, few studies examining the species life history relative to pollutant tissue concentrations and the consumptive fishery exist. This study utilized data from three independent spotted sand bass studies from 1989 to 2002 to investigate PCB, DDT, and mercury tissue concentrations relative to spotted sand bass age and growth in San Diego Bay, with subsequent comparisons to published pollutant advisory levels and fishery regulations for recreational and subsistence consumption of the species. Subsequent analysis focused on examining temporal and spatial differences for different regions of San Diego Bay.Study results for growth confirmed previous work, finding the species to exhibit highly asymptotic growth, making tissue pollutant concentrations at initial take size difficult if not impossible to predict. This was corroborated by independent tissue concentration results for mercury, which found no relationship between fish size and pollutant bioaccumulation observed. However, a positive though highly variable relationship was observed between fish size and PCB tissue concentration.Despite these findings, a significant proportion of fish exhibited pollutant levels above recommended state recreational angler consumption advisory levels for PCBs and mercury, especially for fish above the minimum take size, making the necessity of at-size predictions less critical. Lastly, no difference in tissue concentration was found temporally or spatially within San Diego Bay.

Competition Between Halophytes and Invasive Species

“…These reflect basic mechanisms stress response mechanisms, shared by nearly all plants, though their activation does not necessarily convey tolerance. Such comparative studies in between related taxa help highlighting the efficiency of these mechanisms in some accessions and identifying key markers or parameters necessary for early identification of stress or tolerance (Boscaiu et al 2013;Cicevan et al 2016;Al Hassan et al 2017a, b). In this sense, both studied species showed similar patterns of response to applied stresses, though Limbarda, a succulent plant, reported superior ion sequestration capabilities and higher accumulation of glycine-betaine (the main osmolyte in both species).…”

Assessment of spatial and temporal variations in trace element concentrations using honeybees (Apis mellifera) as bioindicators

“…Considering that plants are stationary organisms, they cover only a small area in close proximity of the plant. Therefore different animal species have been recently considered as bioindicators ( Loflen, 2013 ; García-Hernández et al, 2015 ; Jovičić et al, 2016 ; Flache et al, 2017 ).…”