Persistent organic pollutants and related biological responses measured in coastal fish using chemical and biological screening methods.

The aim of this study was to investigate the spatial distribution, levels of dioxin-like compounds (DLC), and biological responses in two fish species. The viviparous eelpout (Zoarces viviparus) was collected from various locations in the Baltic Sea and in fjords of Kattegat and Skagerrak, while shorthorn sculpin (Myoxocephalus scorpius) was obtained at the polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) polluted site in North West Greenland. Significant differences were detected both in contaminant levels and relative contributions from either polychlorinated dibenzodioxins (PCDD) or polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDF or furans) and mono-ortho- and non-ortho (coplanar) polychlorinated biphenyls (dl-PCB).

Plastic ingestion by pelagic and demersal fish from the North Sea and Baltic Sea.

Plastic ingestion by marine biota has been reported for a variety of different taxa. In this study, we investigated 290 gastrointestinal tracts of demersal (cod, dab and flounder) and pelagic fish species (herring and mackerel) from the North and Baltic Sea for the occurrence of plastic ingestion. In 5.

Distribution of brominated flame retardants and dechloranes between sediments and benthic fish--A comparison of a freshwater and marine habitat.

A total of 53 halogenated flame retardants (HFRs) were analysed in sediments, European eels and dabs from both freshwater and marine sampling stations in the German Bight and the river Elbe. Classic HFRs, such as polybrominated diphenylethers (PBDEs), were the highest concentrated HFRs in eels as well as in most dabs (apart from 1,2,5,6-tetrabromocyclooctane (TBCO)). In sediments, on the other hand, alternate BFRs and especially dechloranes dominated the contamination pattern.

Liver histopathology in Baltic eelpout (Zoarces viviparus) - A baseline study for use in marine environmental monitoring.

The use of liver histopathology in various fish species as a biomarker in marine monitoring programmes to assess the biological effect of exposure to anthropogenic contaminants is well established. However, although the eelpout (Zoarces viviparus) has repeatedly been recommended as an appropriate bioindicator for monitoring purposes in the Baltic Sea, information on histopathological liver alterations of this species is scarce. In order to obtain an overview, a total of 1070 eelpout, collected in the period between spring 2001 and winter 2010 from 34 sampling sites distributed over large parts of the Baltic Sea, were histologically analyzed.

Biomarkers of environmental contaminants in the coastal waters of Estonia (Baltic Sea): effects on eelpouts (Zoarces viviparus).

The eastern Baltic Sea near the Estonian coast is heavily navigated by numerous cargo ships and oil tankers. Hundreds of accidents and oil spills happen yearly in this area. Yet, there is a lack of data concerning the distribution and effects of the environmental contaminants, especially polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs).

Histopathological, histomorphometrical, and immunohistochemical biomarkers in flounder (Platichthys flesus) from the southern Baltic Sea.

Flounder (Platichthys flesus), collected in late fall of 2009 from four coastal sites in the southern Baltic Sea including the Gulf of Gdańsk (GoG), were investigated for a suite of biomarkers of contaminant effects. The biomarkers included liver histopathologies, which were diagnosed and assessed using commonly applied lesion categories, the size and density of melano-macrophage aggregates (MMAs), expression of proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) and of cytochrome P450 1A (CYP1A) in liver as well as the size and density of MMAs and density of Perls'-positive cells in the spleen. The prevalence of liver lesions differed among the sites.