Organochlorine pollutant levels in Mediterranean monk seals from the western Mediterranean and the Sahara coast

Borrell, Asunción; Aguilar, Àlex; Pastor, T.

doi:10.1016/s0025-326x(97)00151-3

Cited by 34 publications

(17 citation statements)

References 15 publications

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“…The blubber of monk seals Monachus monachus from the Sahara coast (just north of Mauritania) had a maximum total PCB concentration of 23.1 μg g −1 (Borrell et al. ), which exceeds the threshold of 17 μg g −1 total PCBs (lipid weight) above which reproductive impacts can occur in aquatic mammals (Kannan et al. ).…”

Section: Human Activitiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

A review of the human activities impacting cetaceans in the eastern tropical Atlantic

Weir

Pierce

2012

Mammal Review

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1. The eastern tropical Atlantic (ETA), extending from Mauritania south to Angola, is inhabited by at least 34 cetacean species. Knowledge of cetaceans and the human activities affecting them in the ETA is scant. 2. Available literature was reviewed over three eras of ETA cetacean research: the whaling era (1700s–1950s); the stranding and specimen era (1950s–70s); and the modern field research era (1980s–present). Eight human activities were documented to impact ETA cetacean species: directed takes (whaling and small cetaceans); by‐catch or entanglement in fishing gear; the ETA tuna purse seine fishery; overfishing; habitat loss and degradation; vessel strikes; marine ecotourism; and live captures for display. Climate change may represent a future threat. 3. Directed takes of small cetaceans were documented in 12 ETA countries, and incidental by‐catch (especially in gillnets) in at least nine countries. Additionally, unknown levels of cetacean mortality occur in ETA tuna purse seine fisheries. The use of cetaceans as ‘bushmeat’ was documented in 15 countries and involved at least 23 species. Little information could be found on cetacean mortality in Liberia, Benin, Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, São Tomé and Príncipe or the Democratic Republic of the Congo. 4. Human activities were most frequently and widely reported to impact on common bottlenose dolphins Tursiops truncatus and Atlantic humpback dolphins Sousa teuszii, which are particularly vulnerable to anthropogenic interactions due to their nearshore occurrence. 5. The lack of information on the scale of impacts and on cetacean abundance and population structure in the ETA currently hinders assessments of the sustainability of mortality levels.

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Section: Human Activitiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

A review of the human activities impacting cetaceans in the eastern tropical Atlantic

Weir

Pierce

2012

Mammal Review

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“…Pollutant levels, as expected by the remoteness of the location from agricultural or industrial activities, are extremely low (Borrell et al 1997), and kills or disturbances caused by fishing or other human activities are non-existent or negligible, at least in the area around the caves (Marchessaux 1989a, University of Barcelona 1997. Nevertheless, the effect of pelagic fisheries needs to be assessed, since its effect cannot be detected in the breeding areas.…”

Section: Demographic Trajectory and Status Of The Populationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Status of the Mediterranean monk seal Monachus monachusin the western Sahara and the implications of a mass mortality event

Forcada¹,

Hammond²,

Aguilar³

1999

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

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Status of the Mediterranean monk sealMonachus monachus in the western Sahara and the implications of a mass mortality event Jaume ~orcada'.', Philip S. ~a r n m o n d~, Alex ~g u i l a r ' ABSTRACT: The largest aggregation of the highly endangered Mediterranean monk seals Monachus monachusis located on the Cap Blanc Peninsula on the coast of the western Sahara Photographic identification of individuals was used in a capture-recapture analysis to estimate the abundance and composition of the colony during 1993 to 1998. Results of the application of these techniques to Mediterranean monk seals were satisfactory, and allowed Independent annual population estimates. No significant trends in abundance over the period 1993 to 1996 were detected, and the mean estimate for the period was 317 seals (CV = 0.16; 95% CI: 237 to 447). Environmental changes affecting suitabihty of habitat, particularly food availability, are suggested as major factors for limited population recovery during this period. In spring 1997, a mass mortality event reduced the population size to 109 individuals (CV = 0.14; 95 % CI: 86 to 145). Mortality was age-specific and resulted in a severe change in the stage composition of the population. Adults were the most affected, and therefore the proportion of juveniles increased from an initiaI 12°C before the event to about 29% after. As a result of both the decrease In seal numbers and the change in population composition, the number of Individuals potentially contributing to reproduct~on fell to about 77 or fewer. This number may not be enough to maintain genetic variability and overcome the effect of demographic stochasticity. The demographic changes caused by the die-off are expected to have both positive and negative effects on the reproductive success of the colony. However, they are undoubtedly factors which potentially threaten the stability and survival of the colony in the near future.

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“…Turkish fishermen catch albacore from the Eastern Mediterranean Sea, but publications on the concentrations of trace elements in T. alalunga from that region are very limited (Storelli et al, 2002;Storelli and Marcotrigiano, 2004). Due to its semi-closed nature, and since it is surrounded by large centers of human population, levels of marine contaminants are high in the Mediterranean Sea (Bacci, 1989;Borrell et al, 1997;Kuetting, 1994). It is known that the Antalya Coast of the Mediterranean Sea became polluted in recent years due to industrial and domestic waste (Ergin, 2005).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Levels of Selected Metals in Albacore (Thunnus alalunga, Bonnaterre, 1788) from the Eastern Mediterranean

Mol

Ozden

Karakulak

2012

Journal of Aquatic Food Product Technology

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Albacore has been exported mainly to Europe from Turkey. To evaluate the possible health risks and provide information for surveillance programs, concentrations of cadmium, mercury, and lead were determined in albacore from the Eastern Mediterranean Sea. Of the 34 individuals, 25 contained mercury and 9 contained cadmium above the permissible limits set by the European Union (1 mg/kg and 0.1 mg/kg, respectively). None of the samples contained lead above the limit (0.3 mg/kg). It was concluded that concentrations of trace metals in albacore, especially mercury, must be controlled comprehensively and periodically with respect to consumer health.

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Organochlorine pollutant levels in Mediterranean monk seals from the western Mediterranean and the Sahara coast

Cited by 34 publications

References 15 publications

A review of the human activities impacting cetaceans in the eastern tropical Atlantic

A review of the human activities impacting cetaceans in the eastern tropical Atlantic

Status of the Mediterranean monk seal Monachus monachusin the western Sahara and the implications of a mass mortality event

Levels of Selected Metals in Albacore (Thunnus alalunga, Bonnaterre, 1788) from the Eastern Mediterranean

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