Evaluating the impact of environmental pollution on fish in McMurdo Sound, Antarctica: A biomarker approach

Abstract

To assess the ongoing effects of anthropogenic pollutants on the Winter Quarters Bay (WQB) fauna, resident Trematomus hansoni and T. hansoni from a control site, Backdoor Bay (BDB) were caught. A suite of biomarkers, namely ethoxyresorufin- o-deethylase (EROD), pentoxyresorufin- o-deethylase (PROD), as well as biliary naphthalene and phenanthrene were measured. EROD activity was significantly higher in the WQB resident T. hansoni, while the remaining parameters were unaffected, and no differences in the hepatosomatic index or condition factor were evident. Additionally, Trematomus bernacchii were collected from BDB and placed in cages within WQB and at Cape Armitage (another control site near McMurdo Station) for 2 and 4 weeks. No differences in EROD and PROD activities were found between any of the caged T. bernacchii. Naphthalene was significantly elevated in WQB caged T. bernacchii after both 2 and 4 weeks even though phenanthrene was elevated in WQB caged fish only after 4 weeks. Again, there were no significant morphological differences between groups. It is evident from both the resident and caged fish that the legacy left by the pollution in WQB is still affecting the local marine fauna.