Parassiti come indicatori biologici e livelli di accumulo di Pb, Cd e Hg in un approccio multidisciplinare nella caratterizzazione di Xiphias gladius in acque europee
Author(s)
Damiano, Simone
Date Issued
March 15, 2010
Type
Doctoral Thesis
Abstract
During the last decades, the combined effect of natural and human activities acting over the Mediterranean Sea basin have brought to a reduction of the swordfish (Xiphias gladius, L. 1758) population. The use of parasites as biological tags has shown to be a valid approach for the characterization of both pelagic and
demersal fish stocks. Heavy metals, as chemical pollutants, have strong long-term effects on fish and constitute a high risk for the resource and the human consumption. Mediterranean swordfish is a highly exploited marine source. An evaluation of its parasites infestation levels and heavy metals accumulation can contribute to the monitoring of stock the health state. The aim is to characterize the Mediterranean stock in a
comparative study with the Atlantic one. Parasites have been used as biological tags and accumulation levels of Pb, Cd, and Hg have been recorded. 276 fish, coming from both Atlantic and Mediterranean region have been examined. Significant differences between areas have been reported for parasite fauna composition and
distribution. Results suggest that some parasites as anisakid nematodes and the cestode Hepatoxylon squali can be considered as valid biological tags for the swordfish stock characterization. High concentration levels for Pb and Hg have been found in all sampling localities with differences between areas. Cd concentrations were lower than the maximum level applied for the seafood by the European Commission.
Additional information
Dottorato di ricerca in Ecologia e gestione delle risorse biologiche
File(s)![Thumbnail Image]()
Name
sdamiano_tesid.pdf
Size
13.03 MB
Format
Adobe PDF
Checksum (MD5)
29a32d82ac5ad143ed2b24cc4716f311