The seasonal input and distribution of organic contaminants in the Mar Menor lagoon have been recently characterized in seawater and sediments, showing the significant impact of flash flood events. Mar Menor is a hypersaline (42-47 psu) coastal lagoon located in the Cartagena Field area at the South East of Spain subjected mainly to intensive agriculture, seasonal tourism and recreational activities. The bioaccumulation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and organochlorinated pesticides (OCPs) has been also determined in bivalves, but no information was available about their accumulation in fishes. In this study the concentrations of PAHs, PCBs and OCPs in golden grey mullet (Liza aurata) and red mullet (Mullus barbatus) muscle were determined. Their spatial distribution throughout the Mar Menor lagoon was characterized considering 9 sampling areas and two different sampling periods, spring and autumn in 2010 for golden grey mullet and only one (autumn) for red mullet. PAHs and organochlorinated pollutants were extracted using specific Soxhlet procedures. After cleanup and purification steps the final extracts were analyzed by HPLC for PAHs, and by GC-MS for PCBs and OCPs. The higher concentrations of all pollutants were found close to main urban and port areas of this lagoon and in the influence area of El Albujón watercourse. PAHs concentrations (sum of 14 congeners) in both species varied between 1 and 20.7 g/kg w.w. being pyrene and phenanthrene the most abundant ones. p,p’DDE showed higher concentrations than PAHs in golden grey mullet (concentration range: 0.2-32.7 g/kg w.w.), specially close to the main navigation channel between this lagoon and the Mediterranean Sea.This work has been supported by the Spanish Inter-Ministerial Science and Technology Commission through ‘DECOMAR’ project (CICYT, CTM2008-01832) and by Seneca Foundation (Region of Murcia, Spain) through ‘BIOMARO’ project (15398/PI/10). Rubén Moreno-González wishes to thank the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation for the FPI grant (BES 2009-014713)
