Scholarly record

THE CONTENT OF Zn, Co, AND Ba IN WATER AND SELECTED FISH ORGANS OF BLOTCHED PICAREL (SPICARA MAENA L.) AND HADDOCK (MERLANGIUS EUXMUS L.) FROM KARANTINNA AND BALAKLAVA BAYS IN THE AREA OF SEVASTOPOL

Marcin Niemiec

Abstract

Accumulation of trace elements in aquatic organisms is an important problem associated with environment pollution and with their utilization for consumption purposes. The aim of the conducted research was to assess the content of Zn, Co and Ba in water and in selected organs of fish of blotched picarel (Spicara maena L.) and haddock (Merlangius euxmus L.), from Karantinna and Balaklava Bays in the region of Sevastopol. The second aim was to determine the level of bioaccumulation of these elements in organisms used in the research. The research region consists of areas of elevated human impact. The bays of Sevastopol are a place where many fish species that are valuable from the economical and environmental point of view reproduce and live. The research was conducted in 2017. Water and fish samples were collected in July. The content of elements in water, as well as in organs of the studied fish was determined using atomic absorption spectrometry with electrothermal atomization. Water from the studied bays of Sevastopol contained the investigated elements in amounts suggesting anthropogenic enrichment. A higher content of cobalt and zinc was determined in water collected from Balaklava Bay, whereas in the case of barium ? water collected from Karantinna Bay contained more of this element. Greater differences in the content of the studied elements in individual fish organs with respect to location than with respect to fish species were recorded. Zinc content in individual fish organs ranged from 33.58 to 244.5 mg kg-1 DM, cobalt content ? from 0.083 to 0.786 mg kg-1 DM, whereas barium content ranged from 9.194 to 38.56 mg kg-1DM. Zinc concentration in individual organs had the following descending order: ovaries > testes > gills > liver > muscles; cobalt concentration had the following descending order: liver > gills > ovaries> testes > muscles, whereas barium concentration: gills > ovaries > testes > muscles > liver. The content of all the studied elements in individual fish organs was high, characteristic for anthropogenically transformed ecosystems. Despite the high content of the studied elements, no threat to populations of the studied organisms was determined. The value of the bioaccumulation factor of the studied elements in the studied fish organs was arranged in descending order: Ba > Co > Zn.

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