Species-specific bioaccumulation of trace metals among fish species from Xincun Lagoon, South China Sea

Abstract

Xincun Lagoon is an important fishing area in northern Hainan Island, China. It has long been exposed to pollutants from local sewage, breeding cages and fishing boats, resulting in serious pollution threats to the survival of fish. In this study, we examined the concentrations of seven trace metals (Cu, Pb, Zn, Cd, Hg, As and Cr) in sixteen economic fish species collected from Xincun Lagoon and their exposed environment (water and sediment). The concentrations of Pb and Zn in the water column were higher than the safety threshold stipulated by Chinese legislation, while the contents of all examined metals in the sediment and fish species were lower than the legislative thresholds set by China and international organizations. The contents of trace metals in the fish species in high trophic levels or those that prefer to live in/on the sediment layer were significantly higher than those in other trophic levels and pelagic/subbenthic fish, these species had homogeneous anthropogenic pollution sources for Cu, Zn, Cd, Hg and As. Our results show that the trace metal contents in fish were mainly affected by trophic level and habitat preference. The contribution of metal exposure from the sediment to metal accumulation in fish was lower than that in water, especially for the Cd and Hg in the sediment. These results provide valuable information for further understanding the species-specific patterns of metal accumulation in fish and the development of targeted conservation measures for the environment and fish consumers.

Characteristics and Health Risk Assessment of Heavy Metal Pollution in Haikou Bay and Adjacent Seas

“…The concentrations of seven heavy metals in waters in Haikou Bay and the adjacent areas were shown in Table 2 and Figure 2. The concentration of Zn at some sampling points (1,2,8,9,11,13,15) exceeded the first-class standard of China's seawater quality (P s = 0.754, P b = 0.752, Table 2), and accounted for 18.75% and 25% of the total concentrations of heavy metals in surface and bottom water, respectively. The highest concentration of Zn was 21.3 µg/L, which was slightly higher than the first-class standard (20 µg/L).…”

“…However, as the marine environment was polluted by heavy metals, the originally highquality marine foods, such as fish, become harmful substances that endanger the health of people who eat them [11]. Many scholars study and evaluate marine environmental quality through marine organisms [8,[12][13][14][15]. At present, there are few reports on comprehensive studies on seawater, surface sediment, and fish in Haikzou Bay [16,17].…”

Assessment of toxic elements in selected fish species in the marine water at Jamestown, Ghana

“…Among the fish species, notably high concentrations of Pb were found in the gills and muscles of the Silverfish and Flatfish. These findings suggest that specific fish species may have a higher bioaccumulation capacity for Pb, potentially due to their habitat preferences, dietary choices, or physiological traits [ 21 ]. Lead can damage the nervous system of silver fish, leading to problems such as coordination loss and paralysis [ 1 , 22 ].…”

Effects of Iron-Oxide Nanoparticles (Fe3O4) Released From Synthesized Iron-based Thiourea Catalyst on the Growth, Cell Density, and Pigment Content of Chlorella Vulgaris

“…Metals such as iron are more desire to absorb and accumulate in the body of aquatic species, rather than being dissolved in the water. Trace elements could be adsorbed by the sh body and its organs in aquatic systems [44]. Another study was conducted using four species of marine algae to evaluate their bioaccumulated iron and its risk for human consumption.…”