Effects of contaminants in roundnose grenadier (Coryphaenoides rupestris) and Norway lobster (Nephrops norvegicus) and contaminant levels in mussels (Mytilus edulis) in the Skagerrak and Kattegat compared to the Faroe Islands

in situ biomonitoring of roundnose grenadier (Coryphaenoides rupestris) and Norway lobster (Nephrops norvegicus) and measurements of pollutant levels in caged common mussel (Mytilus edulis) were used to assess the environmental impact of contaminants in the Skagerrak and Kattegat and near the Faroe Islands. By comparing the responses of a suite of established and potential biomarkers, i.e. different liver detoxification enzymes and histopathology in roundnose grenadier in the Skagerrak, and at a reference site off the Faroe islands, evidence was found that the deeper parts of the Skagerrak are affected by anthropogenic contaminants. Levels of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) and organochlorines in caged mussels were compared with those in sediment. The Skagerrak/Kattegat area was found to be more polluted than the Faroe area and the caged mussels bioaccumulated the PAHs to a higher degree than the organochlorines. This seems to indicate that the PAHs in the sediments are more bioavailable than the organochlorines and that the induced ethoxyresorufin-O-deethylase activities observed in Skagerrak roundnose grenadier may be due to RAN exposure. The Norway lobster accumulated manganese to Various degrees in the different parts of the organism. The excretion rate of manganese could not cope with the uptake rate at higher exposure concentrations. Enhanced manganese concentrations, especially in the gills and haemolymph, seem to be a useful indication of increased manganese levels in the water. Hypoxia makes sediment-bound manganese much more bioavailable. The elevated levels of manganese in Norway lobster from the Skagerrak/Kattegat area therefore seem to reflect the increasing occurrence of hypoxic conditions in the Kattegat and coastal areas of the Skagerrak. Accumulated manganese in Norway lobster may thus serve as a biomarker of hypoxia. In conclusion, the use of a suite of different biomarkers in ecotoxicological and ecophysiological studies and analyses of contaminant levels have provided evidence of a large-scale environmental impact of pollutants and nutrients in the Skagerrak/Kattegat area. This should lead to further efforts to decrease transport into and deposition of waste compounds in the sea.