Welcome   Sponsored By
Subscribe | Register | Advertise | Newsletter | About us | Contact us
   


An egg found to have developed inside a trout testicle. (Photo Credit: Oregon State University)

Ocean fish pathological changes may be caused by human pollution

Click on the flag for more information about United States UNITED STATES
Friday, March 27, 2015, 01:30 (GMT + 9)

A team of researchers has found certain deep-water marine fish in the Bay of Biscay west of France may develop pathological issues as a result of human-caused pollution.

These scientists, from Oregon State University (OSU); the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science in the United Kingdom; and other agencies, analysed changes to the sex organs and livers of fish in the northeast Atlantic Ocean and suggested pollution from human activity may be causing liver pathologies and ‘inter-sex’ condition (a blend of male and female sex organs) in marine life inhabiting areas of up to a mile under the ocean.

“In areas ranging from pristine, high mountain lakes of the United States to ocean waters off the coasts of France and Spain, we’ve now found evidence of possible human-caused pollution that’s bad enough to have pathological impacts on fish,” pointed out Michael Kent, a professor of microbiology in the OSU College of Science, co-author on this research project and an international expert on fish disease.

Kent also explained: “Deep in the ocean one might have thought that the level of contamination and its biological impact would be less. That may not be the case. The pathological changes we’re seeing are clearly the type associated with exposure to toxins and carcinogens.”

However, these scientists consider that further chemical analyses before concluding these pathological changes are not caused by naturally-occurring compounds.

According to these researchers, this health survey is different from other studies that have looked only at the parasite fauna, not more internal biological problems such as liver damage. The issues are important, however, since there’s growing interest in these areas as a fisheries resource, as other fisheries on the shallower continental shelf become depleted.

These scientists believe that as the sea deepens along these continental slopes, it can act as a sink for heavy metal contaminants such as mercury, cadmium and lead, and organic contaminants such as PCBs and pesticides. Some of the “intersex” fish that have been discovered elsewhere are also believed to have mutated sex organs caused by “endocrine disrupting chemicals” that can mimic estrogens.

In this study, the health concerns identified were found in black scabbardfish, orange roughy, greater forkbeard and other less-well-known species, and included a wide range of degenerative and inflammatory lesions that indicate a host response to pathogens, as well as natural cell turnover. The fish that live in these deep water, sloping regions usually grow slowly, live near the seafloor, and mature at a relatively old age. Some can live to be 100 years old.

The study noted that partly because of that longevity, the fish have the capacity to bioaccumulate toxicants, which “may be a significant human health issue if those species are destined for human consumption.” Organic pollutants in such species may be 10-17 times higher than those found in fish from the continental shelf with the highest level of contaminants in the deepest-dwelling fish.

Nevertheless, most of those contaminants migrate to the liver and gonads of such fish, which would make their muscle tissue comparatively less toxic, and “generally not high enough for human health concern,” the researchers wrote.

This research has been published in Marine Environmental Research and was supported by the European Union (EU).


editorial@seafood.media
www.seafood.media


 Print


Click to know how to advertise in FIS
MORE NEWS
Japan
Mar 29, 18:30 (GMT + 9):
IN BRIEF - Frozen volume of salmon and trout, both lower than the previous year. Salmon coho Fall
China
Mar 29, 07:40 (GMT + 9):
Southeast Pacific Squid Index: Giant squid (dosidicus gigas)
Canada
Mar 29, 07:10 (GMT + 9):
Cooke Aquaculture Named One of Atlantic Canada’s Top Employers
Indonesia
Mar 29, 07:00 (GMT + 9):
IN BRIEF - EFishery acquihires Indonesian AI-powered IoT startup, to launch AI brand
France
Mar 29, 07:00 (GMT + 9):
Other Media | The Fishing Daily: French Minister Urges Dialogue Over UK Expansion of Marine Protected Areas
Thailand
Mar 29, 07:00 (GMT + 9):
Thai Union Collaborates to Achieve Zero Wastewater Discharge and Establish an Industry Learning Center
Russian Federation
Mar 29, 07:00 (GMT + 9):
Russia and China Combat Illegal Fishing: Electronic Certificates of Legality for Catches
United Kingdom
Mar 29, 07:00 (GMT + 9):
Brexit costs Scotland up to USD 126.09 million-a-year in lost salmon exports
French Guiana
Mar 29, 06:00 (GMT + 9):
IN BRIEF – 'The French vessel that is to come to patrol Guyana’s waters, saving the country $100M through illegal fishing, is yet to dock here'
Japan
Mar 29, 03:00 (GMT + 9):
Driftnet fishing for salmon and trout starts early. Agreement with Russia
Russian Federation
Mar 29, 01:00 (GMT + 9):
Will the Russian Far East be the country with the most snow crabs in 2025?
Viet Nam
Mar 29, 01:00 (GMT + 9):
Shrimp exports from Ecuador are facing many challenges
Japan
Mar 29, 00:50 (GMT + 9):
IN BRIEF - Faced with the Peruvian decline, fishmeal production in India and Oman is increasing rapidly
Australia
Mar 28, 21:10 (GMT + 9):
IN BRIEF - At WTO, Australia seeks details on India's fisheries plan
Croatia
Mar 28, 21:00 (GMT + 9):
IN BRIEF - Cromaris business results in 2023



Lenguaje
FEATURED EVENTS
  
TOP STORIES
Clipfish challenges in Brazil: Port bureaucracy stops millions worth
Brazil More and more clipfish containers are being stopped in Brazilian ports. - Complicated regulations make market access challenging, to say the least, say Norwegian exporters who risk large losses. Bra...
Catches in the Sea of Okhotsk and Bering Sea
Russia Fed. Situational update as of 03/24/2024 Source: Stockfile FIS Sea of Okhotsk (pollock) According to OSM data in the Sea of Okhotsk, pollock catch (industrial and coastal fisheries) as of March 24, 20...
Productive Development of the Fishing Activity
Peru Fishing Sector Bulletin - January 2024 The landing of hydrobiological resources registered a negative interannual variation of 62.7%, as a result of the lower landing of fishing resources for indirec...
NGO Sues UK Government Over International Fishing Quotas
United Kingdom Blue Marine Foundation, a charity dedicated to restoring the ocean to health, has launched legal proceedings over the government’s decision to set fishing opportunities, for more than half UK st...
 

Maruha Nichiro Corporation
Nichirei Corporation - Headquarters
Pesquera El Golfo S.A.
Ventisqueros - Productos del Mar Ventisqueros S.A
Wärtsilä Corporation - Wartsila Group Headquarters
ITOCHU Corporation - Headquarters
BAADER - Nordischer Maschinenbau Rud. Baader GmbH+Co.KG (Head Office)
Inmarsat plc - Global Headquarters
Marks & Spencer
Tesco PLC (Supermarket) - Headquarters
Sea Harvest Corporation (PTY) Ltd. - Group Headquarters
I&J - Irvin & Johnson Holding Company (Pty) Ltd.
AquaChile S.A. - Group Headquarters
Pesquera San Jose S.A.
Nutreco N.V. - Head Office
CNFC China National Fisheries Corporation - Group Headquarters
W. van der Zwan & Zn. B.V.
SMMI - Sunderland Marine Mutual Insurance Co., Ltd. - Headquarters
Icicle Seafoods, Inc
Starkist Seafood Co. - Headquearters
Trident Seafoods Corp.
American Seafoods Group LLC - Head Office
Marel - Group Headquarters
SalMar ASA - Group Headquarters
Sajo Industries Co., Ltd
Hansung Enterprise Co.,Ltd.
BIM - Irish Sea Fisheries Board (An Bord Iascaigh Mhara)
CEFAS - Centre for Environment, Fisheries & Aquaculture Science
COPEINCA ASA - Corporacion Pesquera Inca S.A.C.
Chun Cheng Fishery Enterprise Pte Ltd.
VASEP - Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters & Producers
Gomes da Costa
Furuno Electric Co., Ltd. (Headquarters)
NISSUI - Nippon Suisan Kaisha, Ltd. - Group Headquarters
FAO - Food and Agriculture Organization - Fisheries and Aquaculture Department (Headquarter)
Hagoromo Foods Co., Ltd.
Koden Electronics Co., Ltd. (Headquarters)
A.P. Møller - Maersk A/S - Headquarters
BVQI - Bureau Veritas Quality International (Head Office)
UPS - United Parcel Service, Inc. - Headquarters
Brim ehf (formerly HB Grandi Ltd) - Headquarters
Hamburg Süd Group - (Headquearters)
Armadora Pereira S.A. - Grupo Pereira Headquarters
Costa Meeresspezialitäten GmbH & Co. KG
NOAA - National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (Headquarters)
Mowi ASA (formerly Marine Harvest ASA) - Headquarters
Marubeni Europe Plc -UK-
Findus Ltd
Icom Inc. (Headquarter)
WWF Centroamerica
Oceana Group Limited
The David and Lucile Packard Foundation
Ajinomoto Co., Inc. - Headquarters
Friosur S.A. - Headquarters
Cargill, Incorporated - Global Headquarters
Benihana Inc.
Leardini Pescados Ltda
CJ Corporation  - Group Headquarters
Greenpeace International - The Netherlands | Headquarters
David Suzuki Foundation
Fisheries and Oceans Canada -Communications Branch-
Mitsui & Co.,Ltd - Headquarters
NOREBO Group (former Ocean Trawlers Group)
Natori Co., Ltd.
Carrefour Supermarket - Headquarters
FedEx Corporation - Headquarters
Cooke Inc. - Group Headquarters
AKBM - Aker BioMarine ASA
Seafood Choices Alliance -Headquarter-
Austevoll Seafood ASA
Walmart | Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (Supermarket) - Headquarters
New Japan Radio Co.Ltd (JRC) -Head Office-
Gulfstream JSC
Marine Stewardship Council - MSC Worldwide Headquarters
Royal Dutch Shell plc (Headquarter)
Genki Sushi Co.,Ltd -Headquarter-
Iceland Pelagic ehf
AXA Assistance Argentina S.A.
Caterpillar Inc. - Headquarters
Tiger Brands Limited
SeaChoice
National Geographic Society
AmazonFresh, LLC - AmazonFresh

Copyright 1995 - 2024 Seafood Media Group Ltd.| All Rights Reserved.   DISCLAIMER