Supporting variables for biological effects measurements in fish and blue mussels

Biological effects measurements in fish and blue mussel are fundamental in marine environmental monitoring. Nevertheless, currently used biomarkers may be confounded by basic physiological phenomena, such as growth, reproduction, and feeding, as well as thereby associated physiological variation. Here, we present a number of supporting variables, which are essential to measure in order to obtain reliable biological effects data, facilitate their interpretation, and make valid comparisons. For fish, these variables include: body weight, body length, condition, gonad maturation status, various somatic indices, age, and growth. For blue mussels, these variables include: volume, flesh weight, shell weight, and condition. Also, grossly visible anomalies, lesions, and parasites should be recorded for both fish and blue mussels. General confounding factors and their effects are described, as well as recommendations for how to handle themPostprint

Biomarkers in Natural Fish Populations Indicate Adverse Biological Effects of Offshore Oil Production

Despite the growing awareness of the necessity of a sustainable development, the global economy continues to depend largely on the consumption of non-renewable energy resources. One such energy resource is fossil oil extracted from the seabed at offshore oil platforms. This type of oil production causes continuous environmental pollution from drilling waste, discharge of large amounts of produced water, and accidental spills.Samples from natural populations of haddock (Melanogrammus aeglefinus) and Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) in two North Sea areas with extensive oil production were investigated. Exposure to and uptake of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were demonstrated, and biomarker analyses revealed adverse biological effects, including induction of biotransformation enzymes, oxidative stress, altered fatty acid composition, and genotoxicity. Genotoxicity was reflected by a hepatic DNA adduct pattern typical for exposure to a mixture of PAHs. Control material was collected from a North Sea area without oil production and from remote Icelandic waters. The difference between the two control areas indicates significant background pollution in the North Sea.It is most remarkable to obtain biomarker responses in natural fish populations in the open sea that are similar to the biomarker responses in fish from highly polluted areas close to a point source. Risk assessment of various threats to the marine fish populations in the North Sea, such as overfishing, global warming, and eutrophication, should also take into account the ecologically relevant impact of offshore oil production

New challenges in marine pollution monitoring

There is abundant evidence that anthropogenic activities have polluted all compartments of the oceans, from the poles to the tropics, by different physical, chemical, and biological stressors. Chemical pollution is particularly tackled here with focus on legacy pollutants and newly emerging man-made compounds (xenobiotics) or anthropogenic forcing in the increase of natural chemical substances. It has been estimated that more than 100,000 chemicals are currently on the market [ECHA (European Chemicals Agency), 2017], and thousands of new substances are being introduced every year due to industrialization, intensive agriculture, and urban development. This has led to a continuous flow of chemical products to the oceans that have the potential to alter the structure of ecosystems by causing changes in the biotic communities that constitute them. Traditionally, the assessment of marine chemical pollution would exclusively be based on chemical analysis of a limited set of potential pollutants in selected environmental matrices, and a comparison between their levels with those found in pristine areas not being subjected to direct human pressures. However, such chemical assessment of pollution only offers a partially suitable approach to the question of how marine organisms and ecosystem functioning are affected by pollutants. This can only be answered by means of an integrated assessment including both chemical analyses and biological tools that quantitatively link the levels of pollutants with their ecological effects, including new contaminants for which no analytical techniques have yet been developed. Ideally, we aim to detect disturbances caused by pollutants before ecosystems are affected. So we need sensitive indications for pollution effects that provide an early warning to allow taking measures to avoid ecological damage. As for this concern a unique effort based on a European consensus, has been developed by ICES/OSPAR (Davies and Vethaak, 2012). A new challenge in marine pollution monitoring is also based on the harmonization of two European Union directives for the protection of the marine environment, the Water Framework Directive (WFD, 2000/60/CE) and the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD, 2008/56/CE). The latter established a legislative context demanding the use of effect-based tools for the assessment of pollution. These two directives were constructed according to two different strategies to assess the status of continental and coastal water ecosystems, following either a risk assessment approach (WFD) or an ecosystem approach (MSFD

Fagrådet for vann- og avløpsteknisk samarbeid i Indre Oslofjord

Rapporten gir en kort oversikt over resultatene fra overvåkingen foretatt for Fagrådet for vann- og avløpsteknisk samarbeid i Indre Oslofjord i 2012. En mer utfyllende presentasjon av resultatene er gitt i en vedleggsrapport (NIVA rapport l.nr.6534-2013). Undersøkelsene omfatter fysiske, kjemiske og biologiske forhold. Overvåkingen i 2012 ble gjennomført av NIVA i samarbeid med Universitetet i Oslo

Overvåking av forurensningssituasjonen i Indre Oslofjord 2009

Den organiske belastningen på Vestfjordens dypvann har avtatt etter hvert som rensetiltak er blitt gjennomført og ligger nå omtrent på samme nivå som på 1950-tallet. Dette har medført at også oksygenforholdene har blitt bedre siden begynnelsen av 1980-tallet. I Bunnefjorden har oksygenforholdene mellom 20-60 meters dyp blitt bedre siden 2001, mens det til nå ikke har skjedd noen større forandring i dypvannet. Dypvannsfornyelsen i indre Oslofjord i 2009 var omtrent normal, men berørte ikke Bunnefjordens dypvann. Overflateobservasjonene av næringssalter og særlig siktdyp sommeren 2009 viste en forverring i forhold til 2008. Total planteplanktonbiomasse gjennom hele vekstsesongen viste en økende tendens i perioden 2006-2008, men avtok igjen i 2009. Beregnet over hele året var imidlertid den totale algebiomassen 12 % høyere i 2009 enn i 2008. Det ble i 2009 observert en transport av blågrønnalger fra Årungen til Bunnefjorden. Blågrønnalgene var imidlertid ikke giftige slik som i 2007. Det var relativt gode forekomster av reker på dypt vann i Lysakerfjorden i 2009, mens det sammenlignet med 2000-2008 var et tilnærmet normalt år på de øvrige stasjoner med unntak av Gråøyrenna som hadde relativt få reker. Undersøkelser ved bruk av sedimentprofilfotografering (SPI) viste dårligere forhold for bunnfaunaen med økende vanndyp, med en tydelig grense mot dårligere forhold ved 50-60 m i Bunnefjorden, ved ca. 50 m dyp i Bekkelagsbassenget og 20-25 m dyp i Havnebassenget. Det var i hovedsak gode forhold for bunnfauna i alle dyp i Vestfjorden med unntak av enkelte randområder. Indre Oslofjord er et viktig gyteområde for torsk. Det ble observert en større påvirkning fra tjærestoffer på torsk fra indre fjord sammenlignet med torsk innsamlet i ytre. Når det gjelder metaller (sink, kobber, kobolt og bly) ser det imidlertid ikke ut som det er noen signifikant forskjell i eksponering mellom de to fjordområdene

Assessment of contaminant concentrations in sediments, fish and mussels sampled from the North Atlantic and European regional seas within the ICON project

Understanding the status of contaminants in the marine environment is a requirement of European Union Directives and the Regional Seas Conventions, so that measures to reduce pollution can be identified and their efficacy assessed. The international ICON workshop (Hylland et al., 2017) was developed in order to test an integrated approach to assessing both contaminant concentrations and their effects. This paper describes and assesses the concentrations of trace metals, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and polychlorinated biphenyls in sediments, mussels, and fish collected from estuarine, coastal and offshore waters from Iceland to the Mediterranean Sea. For organic contaminants, concentrations progressively increased from Iceland, to the offshore North Sea, to the coastal seas, and were highest in estuaries. Metals had a more complex distribution, reflecting local anthropogenic inputs, natural sources and hydrological conditions. Use of internationally recognised assessment criteria indicated that at no site were concentrations of all contaminants at background and that concentrations of some contaminants were of significant concern in all areas, except the central North Sea.Postprint1,95

Integrated chemical and biological assessment of contaminant impacts in selected European coastal and offshore marine areas

This paper reports a full assessment of results from ICON, an international workshop on marine integrated contaminant monitoring, encompassing different matrices (sediment, fish, mussels, gastropods), areas (Iceland, North Sea, Baltic, Wadden Sea, Seine estuary and the western Mediterranean) and endpoints (chemical analyses, biological effects). ICON has demonstrated the use of a framework for integrated contaminant assessment on European coastal and offshore areas. The assessment showed that chemical contamination did not always correspond with biological effects, indicating that both are required. The framework can be used to develop assessments for EU directives. If a 95% target were to be used as a regional indicator of MSFD GES, Iceland and offshore North Sea would achieve the target using the ICON dataset, but inshore North Sea, Baltic and Spanish Mediterranean regions would fail.Postprint1,95

Biomarkers of general stress in mussels as common indicators for marine biomonitoring programmes in Europe: The ICON experience

This study investigated whether general stress biomarkers in mussels can be applied as common first-tier biomarkers in regional biomonitoring programmes in the North Sea (including Iceland) and western Mediterranean Sea. Stress on Stress (SoS) and lysosomal membrane stability (LMS) biomarkers were analysed in resident mussels (Mytilus sp.) from 8 coastal sites and in transplanted mussels (Mytilus galloprovincialis) from two Spanish Mediterranean coastal sites. The assessment of results, as input to pollution monitoring strategies, was performed jointly for LMS and SoS data from the two regions. Contaminant body burden of the mussels was compared with biomarker results. The results demonstrated that these two general and non-expensive stress biomarkers in mussel can be applied throughout European waters, providing a cost-effective and harmonised approach to screen contaminant-related biological effects within the framework of wide-scale pollution biomonitoring programmes, such as that proposed by the European Union, i.e. the Marine Strategy Framework Directive.Postprint1,95