A comparative study of long-term pollution effects of marine waters on the blood biomarkers of two benthic fish species: the scorpion fish Scorpaena porcus (Linnaeus, 1758) and the round goby Neogobius melanostomus (Pallas, 1814) from the Black Sea

2017 ◽  
Vol 43 (3) ◽  
pp. 232-238 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. N. Skuratovskaya ◽  
T. B. Kovyrshina ◽  
I. I. Rudneva

<em>Abstract</em>.— Long-term research indicates a significant and ongoing decline within the upper St. Lawrence River Muskellunge <em>Esox masquinongy </em>population. Index surveys show a sharp reduction in catch of both spawning adults and age-0 Muskellunge, and catch rates by anglers have similarly declined while harvest remains low. Other changes associated with population decline include presence of fewer female adult Muskellunge and a change in adult Muskellunge size structure (increase in proportion of fish <1,016 mm) in addition to more large individuals greater than 1,372 mm. A significant adult die-off occurred from 2005 to 2008 (103 adults recovered in U.S. and Canadian waters) concomitant with an outbreak of viral hemorrhagic septicemia (VHS). These population changes were also temporally correlated with detection and proliferation of invasive Round Goby <em>Neogobius melanostomus</em>, a known VHS virus (VHSV) reservoir, egg predator, and competitor with native fishes. Comparisons of index netting before and after VHSV and Round Goby invasions suggest a direct link to the decline, but because these are correlations, we can only explore these effects. To examine the viability of Muskellunge nursery sites, we repeated survival studies conducted in the early 1990s with experimental releases of advanced fry at four locations during 2013–2015. Findings indicate contribution to age-0 populations, but catches poststocking (wild and stocked) were lower compared to the 1990s. We review information regarding potential stressors, including VHSV and Round Goby invasion, and conclude that their combined effects have created significant uncertainty and challenges to sustainable management of the Muskellunge population. In response, the St. Lawrence River Muskellunge management plan should be updated with a focus on restoration of the declining Muskellunge stock. Recommended actions target advancing conservation and restoration of critical habitat, restoring lost subpopulations, and reducing mortality associated with angling (e.g., from handling and harvest).


2005 ◽  
Vol 119 (4) ◽  
pp. 582 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Brian C. Hickey ◽  
Adrienne R. Fowlie

We document the first reported occurrence of the Round Goby, Neogobius melanostomus, a small benthic fish native to the Black and Caspian seas, in the St. Lawrence River near Cornwall. On 7 September 2004, we observed approximately 20 Round Gobies while SCUBA diving at a depth of 7 m, downstream of the Saunders Generating Station at Cornwall, Ontario. Round Gobies appear to have arrived recently in this reach of the river and have not previously been detected despite extensive fish surveys conducted in the area.


Zoodiversity ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 55 (4) ◽  
pp. 317-330
Author(s):  
V. Zamorov ◽  
M. Zamorova ◽  
D. Krupko ◽  
N. Matvienko ◽  
Y. Leonchyk ◽  
...  

The aim of this study was to assess the discriminability of the stocks of the round goby Neogobius melanostomus based on the shape of its otoliths. Recent otolith-shape-based species and stock discrimination studies were using otolith contours in sagittal plane and we are following this approach. We hypothesized the possibility of existence of several geographically separated populations of the round goby. Round gobies have been sampled from different locations of the North-Western Black Sea, otoliths were removed in course of the full biological analysis and photographed in sagittal plane. Principal components of the otolith contour were processed by linear discriminant analysis aiming to cross-validate the discriminability of round gobies placed at different geographical locations. This would allow demonstration of different stocks or populations. This research allows to conclude the limited applicability of otolith contours for discrimination of stocks or populations of round goby based on multiple annual samples. However, neither classification matrices of discriminant analysis nor cluster analysis dendrograms showed a single pattern except for the high year to year otoliths variability. This allows to hypothesise a strong response of contour formation to habitat and feeding conditions. However, this assumption needs to be verified by further studies.


2016 ◽  
Vol 74 (3) ◽  
pp. 110-123 ◽  
Author(s):  
Goran Jakšić ◽  
Margita Jadan ◽  
Marina Piria

Abstract Invasive Ponto-Caspian gobies (monkey goby Neogobius fluviatilis, round goby Neogobius melanostomus and bighead goby Ponticola kessleri) have recently caused dramatic changes in fish assemblage structure throughout European river systems. This review provides summary of recent research on their dietary habits, age and growth, phylogenetic lineages and gene diversity. The principal food of all three species is invertebrates, and more rarely fish, which depends on the type of habitat, part of the year, as well as the morphological characteristics of species. According to the von Bertalanffy growth model, size at age is specific for the region, but due to its disadvantages it is necessary to test other growth models. Phylogenetic analysis of monkey goby and round goby indicates separation between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea haplotypes. The greatest genetic diversity is found among populations of the Black Sea, and the lowest among European invaders. The lack of molecular research on bighead goby requires further studies.


2018 ◽  
Vol 3 (4) ◽  
pp. 51-63
Author(s):  
L. V. Malakhova ◽  
E. N. Skuratovskaya ◽  
T. V. Malakhova ◽  
A. R. Boltachev ◽  
V. V. Lobkо

Despite the ban on the use of organochlorine compounds (OCs), they are still widely distributed in various components of the Black Sea ecosystem, including fish. Sevastopol marine area, as a region of active economic use, is a subject of significant anthropogenic impact. The levels of OCs contamination in the scorpion fish Scorpaena porcus Linnaeus, 1758, which leads a sedentary life, can serve as an indicator of such impact. The organochlorine compounds were determined in 58 samples of white muscles, gonads and liver of the scorpion fish captured in 2016–2017 in the various bays of Sevastopol (Aleksandrovskaya, Balaklava, Kazach’ya, Streletskaya, Laspi), as well as in the open coastal water area (the area of the Lyubimovka village). The qualitative and quantitative analyses of organochlorine pesticides and six indicator congeners of polychlorinated biphenyls were performed by gas chromatography with a micro-electron capture detector. To determine the response of scorpion fish to the contamination level, such biochemical markers, as alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, catalase activities, albumin content, level of oxidative protein modification and malondialdehyde concentration, were studied in the liver of fish from these areas. The OCs content in fish depended on the contamination of the fish habitat. The highest OCs level is in fish organs from bays (Alexandrovskaya, Streletskaya, Balaklava), and the smallest – in the fish organs from open Laspi Bay. The accumulation of OCs in the scorpion fish organs differed according to the lipid content in their tissues. The maximum rates of OCs concentrations were in the liver of fish catch from all investigated regions, the minimum – in the gonads (from bays samples) and in the white muscles (from open areas samples). The obtained relationships between the OCs content and biochemical parameters indicate the weakening of antioxidant protection and the increasing of oxidative stress in fish as a result of the xenobiotic accumulation.


2014 ◽  
Vol 50 (3) ◽  
pp. 274-279 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yu. V. Slynko ◽  
V. V. Stolbunova ◽  
S. V. Chebotar ◽  
V. V. Zamorov ◽  
A. N. Gurovskiy

Author(s):  
Ludmila V. Malakhova ◽  
Ekaterina N. Skuratovskaya ◽  
Tatiana V. Malakhova ◽  
Veronika V. Lobko

Despite the ban on the use of organochlorine compounds (OCs), they are still widely distributed in various components of the Black Sea ecosystem, including fish. Sevastopol marine area, as a region of active economic use, is subject to significant anthropogenic impact. To assess the condition of the Black Sea scorpion fish Scorpaena porcus Linnaeus, 1758, from Sevastopol bays (Aleksandrovskaya, Streletskaya, Balaklavskaya, and Kazach’ia) and coastal areas (Laspi bay and Lyubimovka region), the liver of fish was analyzed to compare integrated biomarker response (IBR) and the concentrations of OCs: six indicator congeners of polychlorinated biphenyls (ΣPCB6) and organochlorine pesticides – р,p’-DDT and its metabolites p,p’-DDE and p,p’-DDD (ΣDDT). High concentrations of PCBs and DDTs were found in fish liver from Alexandrovskaya and Streletskaya bays, which are subject to significant anthropogenic impact: 2044 and 2019 ng/g wet weight for ΣPCB6 and 162 and 319 ng/g wet weight for ΣDDT, respectively. To determine the response of scorpion fish to the level of pollution, the liver of fish was analyzed to measure such biochemical markers as cholinesterase and catalase activities, albumin content, and the levels of oxidized proteins and lipid peroxidation. The set of these biochemical markers was used to calculate IBR. IBR correlated well with the ΣPCB6 concentration in sediments and liver of scorpion fish (r=0.95, p<0.05). The maximum IBR was determined in the most polluted Alexandrovskaya and Streletskaya bays, where it was two orders of magnitude higher than the IBR in Laspi bay. Based on IBR values, the fish from Laspi and Kazach’ia bays and from the coastal area of Lyubimovka were in better condition than the fish from Alexandrovskaya, Streletskaya, and Balaklavskaya bays in summer seasons of 2016-2018


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