The effects of subchronic exposure to copper in fat snook (Centropomus parallelus)

Abstract

Anthropogenic processes affect different communities through the release of contaminated effluents into water bodies. Copper can be found in the effluents of most industrial processes and in other effluent types. The fat snook Centropomus parallelus, found from Florida in the United States to southern Brazil, is of great economic importance and is used as a food resource near the coast. This study aimed to determine the effects of copper on C. parallelus. The fish were exposed for 30 or 60 days to treatments of 0, 13 and 26μgCuL−1. Genotoxic effects of copper were observed in the micronuclei, especially in individuals exposed to higher concentrations. Copper exposure also had a negative effect on the growth of fat snook individuals. Compared to the control group without the addition of metal, an accumulation of metal was observed in the gills of exposed fish, an effect that was not found in the muscle.