Marine recreational fisheries in California are economically and culturally important; however, consumption of contaminated seafood may be a human health risk. The California Environmental Protection Agency Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment developed Advisory Tissue Levels (ATLs) to be used in developing consumption recommendations protecting the health of fish consumers. This study characterizes extent and magnitude of bioaccumulation of contaminants in sport fish in Southern California relative to ATLs. Most zones exceeded the ATL for mercury corresponding to consumption of not more than 3 servings per week in one or more target species. A third of zones exceeded the ATL for total polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) corresponding to consumption of not more than 7 servings per week. However, neither mercury nor total PCBs exceeded the most restrictive, “do not consume”, thresholds in measured tissues. Contaminant concentrations in fish tissues have remained the same or decreased since a similar survey in 2009.

We sampled mussels (Mytilus edulis) along the coast of the Korean peninsula, and determined their trophic position (TP) using the nitrogen isotope ratio of amino acids (TPgₗᵤ/ₚₕₑ). The TPgₗᵤ/ₚₕₑ of mussels (2.0 to 2.5) is higher than TP of herbivores, suggesting that TP normalization is required to remove the trophic enrichment effect on basal nitrogen isotope ratio. We found similar trends in spatial variation between nitrogen isotopic baseline based on nitrogen isotope ratio of bulk tissue (δ¹⁵Nbₐₛₑ₋bᵤₗₖ) and that of phenylalanine (δ¹⁵Nbₐₛₑ₋ₚₕₑ) in mussels, reflecting different nitrogen sources among sampling sites. The present study suggests that δ¹⁵Nbₐₛₑ₋bᵤₗₖ and δ¹⁵Nbₐₛₑ₋ₚₕₑ are powerful tools to trace nitrogen isotopic baselines from primary consumers as well as higher TP organisms.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: This review presents an overview of high-performance ultrafiltration (UF) membranes, including fouling resistant, micellar-enhanced, tight, adsorptive, and catalytic UF. The review discusses recent advances in the development of these membranes, focusing on their preparation method, performances, and applications. Then, the review concludes with a discussion of the challenges and future outlooks of these UF membranes in wastewater treatment. RECENT FINDINGS: Recently, the development of UF membranes has resulted in membranes with high performances in wastewater treatment. For instance, fouling-resistant membranes synthesized through surface modification show significant improvement in terms of fouling reduction and flux recovery. In addition, coupling with complexation reaction, tightening membrane pore structure, endowing membrane with adsorption ability, and functionalizing UF membrane with catalytic properties, greatly improve the performance of UF in removing pollutants. Highly selective UF membranes can achieve remarkable various pollutant removals (e.g., organic compounds and heavy metals) from wastewater. UF membrane has been widely applied in wastewater treatment due to its low-pressure operation, relatively low energy consumption, high product quality, and simple operation. Significant efforts have been dedicated to improve UF membrane performance. Fouling resistant and highly selective UF membranes have been developed successfully, which showed remarkable performance in various pollutant removals. These high-performance UF membranes provide the possibility of process simplification in wastewater treatment since they can remove a more wide range of pollutant types, and thus post-treatment step may be reduced.

This study in the Kochi backwaters (KBW) presents the distribution of 9 trace metals (Fe, Zn, Cu, Mn, Ni, Co, Cr, Cd, Pb) in different parts (root, stolon and leaf) of the common water hyacinth Eichhornia crassipes during three different seasons [Pre-Monsoon (PRM), Southwest Monsoon (SWM), and Northeast Monsoon (NEM)]. The hyacinth was collected from 4 sections upstream of the KBW where a saltwater barrage [Thannermukkom Barrage (TB)] prevents saltwater intrusion. Results showed that regardless of seasons, all the trace metals concentration in different parts of Eichhornia varied in the following order: roots > stolon > leaves. All the trace metals except Fe showed their highest concentration during the PRM when TB introduces stagnancy of the water upstream through flow restrictions. Instead, Fe was high during the SWM associated with increased river influx at that time. Overall results showed that the hydrographical alterations of TB upstream of KBW have clear imprints on the trace metals concentrated in the hyacinth Eichhornia crassipes.

Polychaetes were studied to assess the effect of aquaculture activity on the seafloor. Very high biodiversity of species was recorded associated with aquaculture centres with Cirratulidae, Spionidae and Paraonidae families being the most diverse and abundant families. The spatial distribution of polychaete trophic groups was the best descriptor for detecting changes on the benthos. Surface and subsurface deposit-feeding species dominated the sites closest to the rafts cages, highlighting Capitella capitata and Cirratulus cirratus as opportunistic species. While replacement and species succession were observed with increasing presence of carnivores and omnivores in sites further away from the salmon cages and experiencing less impact. Analyses based on the distance of feeding modes and ecological groups from the disturbance source were better indicators of the impact that the traditional community approach or sediment biogeochemistry. Therefore, functional traits studies should always be considered on environmental assessments of benthic systems impacted by aquaculture.

The present study aimed to determine metal accumulation levels in tissue and biomineralisation in shells of 20 species of molluscs (13 gastropods and 7 bivalves) from Palk Bay, India. In most cases, metal concentrations in the tissues were higher than in the shells of the same species collected from same location, meaning that in many cases biomineralisation factors of metal ratios were <1. The highest biomineralisation factor for Cd was detected in Melampus sincaporensis (3.72 ± 0.1) from the Thondi mangrove, for Pb in Cerithidea cingulata (2.51 ± 0.17) from the Vattanam mangrove, for Cu in Melampus sincaporensis (0.88 ± 0.2) from the Thondi mangrove, and for Zn in Cerithidea cingulata (0.93 ± 0.3) from the Devipattinam mangrove. In most cases, metal concentrations were higher than reported in previous studies but were within the maximum limits stated by national and international regulatory agencies. Variations in the biomineralisation factor of metal ratios among the molluscan species likely stems from variations in bioaccumulation efficiency, selectivity of individual organisms, and availability of metals in the mangrove and coastal environments.

Mercury (Hg) is an important environmental indicator of anthropogenic pollution. In this study, the Hg content in the bottom sediments of the East Siberian Sea was observed to range from 13 to 92 ppb, with an average of 36 ppb. Facies dependence was also observed and expressed as an increase in the Hg concentration in fine-sized sediments on the shelf edge and continental slope, compared to that in the sandy silts and sands of the inner shelf. The Hg accumulation in bottom sediments of the eastern part has increased over the past 150 years due to an increase in global emissions of anthropogenic Hg, which is caused by the transboundary transport of Hg to the Arctic. Moreover, changes in the Hg value, which occur due to the plankton arriving at the bottom sediments because of changes in hydrology and primary production, are thought to be associated with global warming.

During the process of studying some morphological characters of fish found in the food of the Australasian gannet Morus serrator breeding at Horuhoru Rock and Mahuki islands in the Hauraki Gulf, New Zealand, one carangid specimen of fish species Trachurus declivis out of the 25 fish specimens examined revealed seven small plastic particles in its stomach of different colours: black, red, blue, green, and transparent. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy was used to identify the compositions of the particles as low and high density polyethylene, poly (methyl methacrylate), polypropylene, and a copolymer of butadiene, acrylonitrile, and methacrylamide. The plastic particles comprised several different shapes and sizes, ranging between 4.5 and 10 mm, and are therefore categorized as micro-and mesoplastic fragments.