Matthew Gubbins

Integrated indicator framework and methodology for monitoring and assessment of hazardous substances and their effects in the marine environment.

Many maritime countries in Europe have implemented marine environmental monitoring programmes which include the measurement of chemical contaminants and related biological effects. How best to integrate data obtained in these two types of monitoring into meaningful assessments has been the subject of recent efforts by the International Council for Exploration of the Sea (ICES) Expert Groups. Work within these groups has concentrated on defining a core set of chemical and biological endpoints that can be used across maritime areas, defining confounding factors, supporting parameters and protocols for measurement. The framework comprised markers for concentrations of, exposure to and effects from, contaminants. Most importantly, assessment criteria for biological effect measurements have been set and the framework suggests how these measurements can be used in an integrated manner alongside contaminant measurements in biota, sediments and potentially water. Output from this process resulted in OSPAR Commission (www.ospar.org) guidelines that were adopted in 2012 on a trial basis for a period of 3 years. The developed assessment framework can furthermore provide a suitable approach for the assessment of Good Environmental Status (GES) for Descriptor 8 of the European Union (EU) Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD).

Transcriptomic responses of European flounder (Platichthys flesus) liver to a brominated flame retardant mixture.

Male European flounder (Platichthys flesus) were exposed to a technical mixture of brominated diphenyl ethers (PDBEs, DE-71, Pentamix) that had been purified to remove contaminating dioxins. Controls were exposed to carrier solvent alone. Fish were exposed to decadally increasing concentrations of Pentamix via both sediment and spiked food. The GENIPOL P. flesus cDNA microarray, differentially expressed gene profiling (DEG) and quantitative PCR were employed to detect hepatic transcriptional differences between exposed fish and controls. Gene transcriptional changes were more sensitive to Pentamix exposure than biomarkers measured previously. Pentamix exposure induced transcripts coding for enzymes of xenobiotic metabolism (CYP1A, aldo-keto reductases) and elicited endocrine disruption (vitellogenin and thyroid hormone receptor alpha), with effects on CYP1A and VTG occurring at the highest exposure. Ontology analysis clearly showed dose-responsive changes indicative of oxidative stress, induction of mitochondrial dysfunction, and apoptosis. We conclude that exposure to PBDEs in both sediment and food has a significant adverse effect on a broad range of crucial biochemical processes in the livers of this widely distributed estuarine fish species, the flounder.

Biomarkers of general stress in mussels as common indicators for marine biomonitoring programmes in Europe: The ICON experience.

This study investigated whether general stress biomarkers in mussels can be applied as common first-tier biomarkers in regional biomonitoring programmes in the North Sea (including Iceland) and western Mediterranean Sea. Stress on Stress (SoS) and lysosomal membrane stability (LMS) biomarkers were analysed in resident mussels (Mytilus sp.) from 8 coastal sites and in transplanted mussels (Mytilus galloprovincialis) from two Spanish Mediterranean coastal sites. The assessment of results, as input to pollution monitoring strategies, was performed jointly for LMS and SoS data from the two regions. Contaminant body burden of the mussels was compared with biomarker results. The results demonstrated that these two general and non-expensive stress biomarkers in mussel can be applied throughout European waters, providing a cost-effective and harmonised approach to screen contaminant-related biological effects within the framework of wide-scale pollution biomonitoring programmes, such as that proposed by the European Union, i.e. the Marine Strategy Framework Directive.

PAH metabolites in fish bile: From the Seine estuary to Iceland

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) are environmental contaminants that pose significant risk to health of fish. The International Workshop on Integrated Assessment of Contaminant Impacts on the North Sea (ICON) provided the framework to investigate biomarker responses as well as contaminant concentrations side by side in marine ecosystems. Concentrations of the main PAH metabolites 1-hydroxypyrene, 1-hydroxyphenanthren and 3-hydroxybenzo(a)pyrene were determined in bile by HPLC with fluorescence detection. Fish species under investigation were dab (Limanda limanda), flounder (Platichthys flesus) and haddock (Melanogrammus aeglefinus). A contamination gradient was demonstrated from the low contaminated waters of Iceland and off-shore regions of the North Sea towards higher concentrations in coastal areas. Concentrations of PAH metabolites differed primarily according to sampling region and secondarily to species.

DNA damage in dab (Limanda limanda) and haddock (Melanogrammus aeglefinus) from European seas

Dab (Limanda limanda) and haddock (Melanogrammus aeglefinus) were collected from coastal and offshore locations in the Baltic (dab only), North Sea (haddock from one location only) and Iceland. Blood was analysed for DNA strand breaks using the comet assay and liver samples for DNA adduct concentrations. DNA strand breaks were at background levels in dab from the two Iceland locations and from the Dogger Bank. The highest levels were observed in dab from the Firth of Forth, Ekofisk and the German Bight. Hepatic DNA adducts in dab were highest at Ekofisk, in the Baltic and Dogger Bank, below detection limit in dab from Iceland and low in dab from the Firth of Forth and German Bight. There was large variation in DNA strand breaks between locations and individuals for haddock, particularly from Iceland. Adduct concentrations were elevated in haddock from both Iceland and the Firth of Forth. A general linear model (GLM) suggested that, in addition to location, the size of dab and its general condition contributed to explaining the observed variability in DNA strand breaks. A GLM for adducts in dab similarly allocated most of the variability to location, but with a possible contribution from CYP1A activity. There were no apparent differences between male and female dab for any of the methods. There was no obvious relationship between strand breaks and adducts in the same fish although dab from Ekofisk and Iceland had respectively high and low responses using both methods. The results from this large-scale study showed pollution-related genotoxicity for dab, that fish blood samples can be conserved prior to comet analyses and that there are clear species differences in genotoxic responses even when collected at the same location.

A GIS-based tool for an integrated assessment of spatial planning trade-offs with aquaculture.

The increasing demand for protein from aquaculture will trigger a global expansion of the sector in coastal and offshore waters. While contributing to food security, potential conflicts with other traditional activities such as fisheries or tourism are inevitable, thus calling for decision-support tools to assess aquaculture planning scenarios in a multi-use context. Here we introduce the AquaSpace tool, one of the first Geographic Information System (GIS)-based planning tools empowering an integrated assessment and mapping of 30 indicators reflecting economic, environmental, inter-sectorial and socio-cultural risks and opportunities for proposed aquaculture systems in a marine environment. A bottom-up process consulting more than 350 stakeholders from 10 countries across southern and northern Europe enabled the direct consideration of stakeholder needs when developing the GIS AddIn. The AquaSpace tool is an open source product and builds in the prospective use of open source datasets at a European scale, hence aiming to improve reproducibility and collaboration in aquaculture science and research. Tool outputs comprise detailed reports and graphics allowing key stakeholders such as planners or licensing authorities to evaluate and communicate alternative planning scenarios and to take more informed decisions. With the help of the German North Sea case study we demonstrate here the tool application at multiple spatial scales with different aquaculture systems and under a range of space-related development constraints. The computation of these aquaculture planning scenarios and the assessment of their trade-offs showed that it is entirely possible to identify aquaculture sites, that correspondent to multifarious potential challenges, for instance by a low conflict potential, a low risk of disease spread, a comparable high economic profit and a low impact on touristic attractions. We believe that a transparent visualisation of risks and opportunities of aquaculture planning scenarios helps an effective Marine Spatial Planning (MSP) process, supports the licensing process and simplifies investments.