Elsevier

Marine Pollution Bulletin

Volume 141, April 2019, Pages 529-534
Marine Pollution Bulletin

Baseline
Monitoring of trace metal accumulation in two South African farmed mussel species, Mytilus galloprovincialis and Choromytilus meridionalis

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2019.03.007Get rights and content

Highlights

  • Rising anthropogenic pollution in Saldanha Bay threatens future of mussel farming.

  • Both season and species influenced trace metal accumulation in mussels.

  • Majority of trace metals were within South African maximum limits for seafood.

  • Arsenic and lead exceeded max. limits for South Africa, but not European Union.

  • Bivalve-specific regulations necessary to support and protect shellfish farming industry

Abstract

Mussels pose health risks to consumers through accumulation of trace metals from the ocean. Saldanha Bay, South Africa, has heavy industry and international shipping, creating concerns over pollution levels for aquaculture facilities. Samples of C. meridionalis and M. galloprovincialis were collected from mussel rafts over two-years and analysed for trace metal content using Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry. Aluminium, Cr, Fe, Zn, Cd and Pb were higher in M. galloprovincialis, while C. meridionalis accumulated more Cu and Mn. Temporal fluctuations occurred for Fe and As concentrations in C. meridionalis, and Fe, As, Hg and Pb in M. galloprovincialis. Arsenic exceeded South African regulatory limits (3 mg/kg) once in each species (max = 3.4 mg/kg w.w.). Lead concentrations in M. galloprovincialis were within EU regulatory limits for bivalves (1.5 mg/kg) but exceeded SA regulatory limits for fish (0.5 mg/kg) four times. Overall, farmed mussels from Saldanha Bay were determined to be safe for human consumption.

Section snippets

Acknowledgements

We would like to acknowledge the significant assistance and repeated samples supplied by The Imbaza Mussel Farm in Saldanha Bay. This research was supported by the South African Research Chairs Initiative (SARChI) and funded by the Department of Science and Technology, Republic of South Africa (UID: 84633), as administered by the National Research Foundation (NRF) of South Africa. The financial assistance of the NRF towards this research is hereby acknowledged. The opinions expressed, and

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