A multibiomarker approach was developed on juvenile Atlantic tomcod (Microgadus tomcod) to evaluate the pertinence of this approach for low-cost screening assessment of the environmental quality of various coastal sites within estuaries. Several biometric indices and biomarkers (ethoxyresorufin-O-deethylase (EROD) activity, metallothionein concentration, and immune responses) were investigated on immature and maturing tomcods (a parts per thousand currency sign31 months) collected in four environmentally contrasted sites in the St. Lawrence Estuary (SLE). Simultaneous examination of various age classes provides the opportunity to detect short-term responses in sensitive young-of-the-year fish (e.g., EROD induction) and longer-time effects associated with chronic exposure and bioaccumulation (e.g., metallothionein induction). Principal component analysis was helpful to discriminate between responses possibly related to contaminant exposure (EROD, metallothionein) and responses that could be affected by upstream-downstream gradient (immune response, biometric indices). Measurement of a battery of biomarkers in young tomcods at several sites along the shore of the SLE is a low-cost screening investigation useful to identify hot spots requiring further investigation with chemical analysis and additional reference sites.

This study aimed to compare the contamination levels of various organohalogenated compounds in two migratory fish species in the Vilaine River in western France. Organochlorinated pesticides, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), dioxins (polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins/dibenzofurans (PCDDs/Fs)), and polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) were analyzed in two diadromous species from the Vilaine estuary, the grey mullet (Liza ramada)-an amphihaline species, and the allis shad (Alosa alosa)-an anadromous species. Fish were collected in spring 2004 and spring 2005, upstream and downstream of the Arzal Dam. PCB contamination varied from 27 to 200 ng g(-1) dry weight (d.w.). PCDDs/Fs, expressed in toxicity equivalent quantity (TEQ) varied from 0.4 to 2.8 pg g(-1) d.w. Dioxins and dioxin-like PCBs expressed in total TEQ varied from 1.4 to 18.8 pg g(-1) d.w. PBDE47 was present at around 2-10 ng g(-1) d.w. and concentrations of the insecticide dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane breakdown product p,p'-dichlorodiphenylchloroethylene varied from 1 to 14 ng g(-1) d.w. For both species, specimens collected upstream were more contaminated. The grey mullet specimens were less contaminated than the allis shad when taken downstream of the dam but were more contaminated upstream. The allis shads presented intermediate contaminant concentrations with a less pronounced difference between upstream and downstream specimens. However, it is thought that shads do not feed when they spawn in the upstream parts of rivers, which should modify the contaminant concentrations. However, measurements in upstream shad samples show an unexpected increase of the contamination, which remains unexplained.

We assessed the capacity of real-time PCR markers to identify the origin of contamination in shellfish. Oyster, cockles or clams were either contaminated with fecal materials and host-associated markers designed from Bacteroidales or Catellicoccus marimammalium 16S RNA genes were extracted from their intravalvular liquid, digestive tissues or shellfish flesh. Extraction of bacterial DNA from the oyster intravalvular liquid with FastDNA spin kit for soil enabled the selected markers to be quantified in 100% of artificially contaminated samples, and the source of contamination to be identified in 13 out of 38 naturally contaminated batches from European Class B and Class C areas. However, this protocol did not enable the origin of the contamination to be identified in cockle or clam samples. Although results are promising for extracts from intravalvular liquid in oyster, it is unlikely that a single protocol could be the best across all bacterial markers and types of shellfish. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The most important oyster farming area in Europe is in a close proximity of two medium size merchant ports. Cargo ships deballast in this area before loading, releasing unwanted or noxious marine species. During a sampling campaign aboard these arriving ships, we found in some ballast water samples a huge number of potentially toxic dinoflagellates and some potentially pathogenic bacteria. A model was applied to find the potential geographical spread of the discharged ballast water. This model predicts the water to reach highly vulnerable shellfish farmed areas in six to eight days.

Gaseous oxidized mercury (GOM) dry deposition measurements using surrogate surface passive samplers were collected in the Four Corners area and eastern Oklahoma from August, 2009–August, 2011. Using data from a six site area network, a characterization of the magnitude and spatial extent of ambient mercury pollution in the arid Four Corners area was accomplished, which included the observation of a strong regional signature in the GOM dry deposition data set. GOM dry deposition rate estimates ranged from 0.4–1.0 ng/m2 h at the six Four Corners area monitoring sites, while the GOM dry deposition rate estimate at the eastern Oklahoma monitoring site was lower at 0.2 ng/m2 h. The highest GOM dry deposition estimates were recorded during the spring and summer while the lowest GOM dry deposition estimates were recorded during the fall and winter. During the second year of this study the highest annual GOM dry deposition estimate so far measured in the United States (U.S.) with smooth–edge surrogate surface passive samplers, 10 889 ng/m2, was recorded at the Mesa Verde National Park site, a site at which the two– year cumulative GOM dry deposition estimate exceeded the mercury wet deposition estimate. GOM dry deposition estimates during the second year of the study were statistically significantly higher than the first year of the study at six of the seven sites. The data from this study provide a two–year baseline of GOM dry deposition data in the Four Corners area and eastern Oklahoma immediately before the current implementation of new U.S. power plant and boiler mercury control regulations which will significantly reduce mercury emissions from those two sectors of local and regional anthropogenic mercury emission sources.

Levels, composition profiles and sources of 16 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in surface sediments from Nan’ao Island, one of the largest mariculture bases in South China were investigated. The total PAHs concentrations ranged from 265.49 to 951.27ng/g (dry weight) with a mean of 515.90ng/g, and seven possible carcinogenic PAHs accounted for 76.94% of total PAHs. Among various mariculture sections, the highest PAHs level was found in the large seaweed culture; while the lowest concentration was detected in the abandoned culture. The composition of PAHs was characterized by low molecular weight PAHs, and Phe Ant and Pyr were the dominant constituent. PAHs may be mainly originated from petroleum and combustion of biomass and coal. Risk assessments suggested that the probability of adverse effect was lower than 25% and PAHs exposure was moderately carcinogenic.

Sperm production and motility, fecundity, and egg size, complexity and viability of serpulid polychaetes Hydroides elegans and Hydroides diramphus after 2-week treatment to hypoxia (2mg O2l−1) was compared with those under normoxia (6mg O2l−1). Despite reduced fecundity, the effect of parental hypoxic exposure on gamete quality was not discernible for both species. However, regardless of their subsequent dissolved oxygen environment, eggs spawned by H. elegans after hypoxic exposure were found to have lower fertilization success, slower embryonic development and a significantly higher yield of malformed embryos than those with a parental normoxic treatment. In contrast, neither fertilization success nor rate of embryonic development was affected for H. diramphus. The results implied that hypoxia was a potential stress reducing the recruitment of H. elegans through non-adaptive epigenetic effect, whereas H. diramphus was a more tolerant species to survive hypoxic events.

Coastal power stations entrain large volumes of cooling water, requiring biocidal treatment to prevent biological fouling. Discharged effluent is both heated and contaminated with residual traces of biocide and so it is necessary to quantify the impacts of this discharge. Cooling water from Heysham 2 nuclear power station, NW England, UK, is discharged to the intertidal area, via a culvert (to minimise erosion and maximise dilution and dispersion by directing the effluent into the receiving water at all states of the tide) within which the effluent is contained at low water. The culvert and surrounding coastal area support a population of blue mussels (Mytilus edulis). Mussel health was determined along a gradient of exposure, using three physiological indices: Scope for Growth, Gonad Mantle Index and Somatic Condition Index (K Factor). The Mussels within the culvert exhibited reduced physiological index values compared to an external site. A trend was identified down the length of the culvert, representing a gradient of exposure and indicating a potential negative effect on growth and reproductive output.