The impact of oestrogenic and androgenic contamination on marine organisms in the United Kingdom--summary of the EDMAR programme. Endocrine Disruption in the Marine Environment

This paper summarises results of the EDMAR programme which is investigating oestrogenic and androgenic endocrine disruption in UK coastal waters. Most of the data concern fish. Four species (flounder, viviparous blenny and two sand gobies) are experiencing feminisation in industrialised estuaries. In males this includes vitellogenin (VTG) synthesis, ovotestis induction and/or feminised sexual characteristics. Although reproductive success may be impaired in some cases, implications for fish populations are still unclear. Suspected causative contaminants include natural oestrogenic substances and synthetic oestrogen mimics. The majority of the oestrogenic activity is adsorbed to sediments, and routes of exposure may include benthic food chain transfer. Some natural androgenic substances are also being discharged to estuaries, but their activity appears low.     

Stock separation and life history of Argyrozona argyrozona (Pisces: Sparidae) on the South African east coast

Fishery independent biomass surveys and commercial linefish catch returns were used to elucidate the spatial patterns of carpenter Argyrozona argyrozona distributed along the South African continental shelf. Two distinct areas of abundan ce ere determined, one on the central and the other on the eastern Agulhas Bank. Tagging studies revealed little exchange between them. Nurseries were identified in Algoa Bay on he eastern Agulhas Bank and on the central Agulhas Bank (CAB). Early juveniles (<100mm total length) on the CAB were found offshore in the vicinity of the Alphard Bank. They were found to move inshore with growth and then back offshore as they approached maturity. Juveniles in Algoa Bay dispersed both eastwards and westwards with growth. Otoith readability and growth rates varied between regions, with fish from the Eastern Cape (Port Elizabeth and Port Alfred combined) having the lowest average percentage error (4.82 vs 5.33 and 7.03) and the slowest growth rates. Size-at-50 % mturity (L₅₀) varied regionally, female fish in the Eastern Cape maturing at a smaller size (L₅₀ = 206mm fork length) than in the Tsitsikamma National Park (L₅₀ = 292mm) or the CAB (L₅₀ = 267mm). Mass-at-length varied between regions, with carpenter in the Park having the highest mass-at-length and those in the Eastern Cape having the lowest. Based on the distribution of carpenter, variability in otolith readability, mass-at-length, variation in growth and size-at-maturity, it is concluded that carpenter exist as two separate stocks and should be managed accordingly.     

Are African penguins worth saving? The ecotourism value of the Boulders Beach colony

Populations of the African penguin Spheniscus demersus have decreased dramatically over the past century, due in part to competition for food with commercial fisheries, and the species is now endangered as a result. Economic arguments are used to favour fisheries over the needs of penguins, but penguins have direct value to the South African economy thanks to penguin-based tourism at several breeding colonies. We estimated the value of African penguins at the most important tourist site for African penguins: Boulders on the Cape Peninsula, South Africa. As a mainland colony close to Cape Town, Boulders is accessible to large numbers of visitors; gate revenues in 2009/2010 alone were R14.5 million (US$2 million). A zonal travel-cost analysis revealed an average consumer surplus among Cape Town residents of some R20 per visit. Penguin-based tourism thus forms an integral part of the R25 billion Western Cape tourism sector. Given that the future survival of this valuable resource is dependent, among others, on the availability of sufficient prey, competition with South Africa's purse-seine fishing fleet should be limited through management strategies that lessen the potential effects of fishing on prey available at the local scale.     

The Effects of Industrial Pollution on the Development and Succession of Marine Fouling Communities I. Analysis of Species Richness and Frequency Data

Abstract. The effects of industrial pollution were determined by comparing the pattern of development of marine fouling communities situated along a pollution gradient within Port Kembla Harbour (Australia) with those from nearby Wollongong Harbour, a relatively unpolluted area. Fifty-three fouling species were found in the communities from Wollongong Harbour compared to only 40 in those from Port Kembla Harbour. Twenty-eight species (including many bryozoans) occurred only in the former, while 15 species occurred solely in the latter. Ten of the 25 species common to both areas were more numerous in Port Kembla Harbour, probably because of the greater availability of free substratum and food in this area. The species richness of fouling communities in Port Kembla Harbour was found to decrease as pollutant concentrations increased. In both study areas, communities established in summer showed significantly higher species richness than those whose development was initiated in winter. This difference was less pronounced in Port Kembla Harbour and was attributed to the effects of pollution on larval settlement. Although species richness increased at all sites through time, Wollongong Harbour communities contained a greater number of species at the end of the experiment than communities from Port Kembla Harbour. Despite this, fewer species were found in the very early developmental stages of the communities from Wollongong Harbour. This result highlights the inherent problems associated with using species richness or diversity measures as a means of determining marine environmental quality.     

Marine environmental quality assessment using polychaete taxocene characteristics in Vancouver Harbour

Polychaete taxocene characteristics from seven stations in Vancouver Harbour obtained during the PICES Practical Workshop are presented. Thirty families and 79 polychaete species were identified. Polychaete density ranged from 194.0 individuals m(-2) in Port Moody Arm to 846.0 individuals m(-2) in the Central Harbour, with a mean abundance over the seven stations of 428.9 individuals m(-2). Biomass varied from 3.0 g wet wt. m(-2) to 28.5 g wet wt. m(-2), with a mean biomass for the seven stations of 12.9 g wet wt. m(-2). High species diversity and richness of polychaete taxocene were observed at two stations, the West Vancouver Laboratory in the Outer Harbour and at a far field reference station in Thornborough Cannel. Sediment quality assessment indicated severe adverse effects at two sites in Port Moody Arm, where high concentrations of chlorinated hydrocarbons and some trace metals were found. A limited number of species, dominance of pollution-tolerant Tharyx multifilis, and the lowest values of polychaete biomass and indices of richness and diversity were detected in Port Moody Arm. Rich species composition and domination of pollution-sensitive species provided evidence of unstressed communities at the far field reference station. Sites in the Outer Harbour, Central Harbour and Indian Arm were characterised by intermediate pollutant exposure.     

The Effects of Industrial Pollution on the Development and Succession of Marine Fouling Communities II. Multivariate Analysis of Succession

Abstract. The successional stages of fouling communities from 3 sites located along a pollution gradient within Port Kembla Harbour (Australia) were compared quantitatively with those from Wollongong Harbour, a relatively unpolluted area located close by.
A multivariate classification of the data showed that the development of fouling communities in Port Kembla Harbour was very different from that in Wollongong Harbour, involving different types of species. In addition, the classification identified a secondary pattern in the data which showed that the species composition of the Port Kembla Harbour communities changed with time, independently of any seasonal effects.
A principal coordinate analysis of the data was able to further expand on these findings. It demonstrated that the succession of fouling communities in Port Kembla Harbour involved a process whereby one group of species (ascidians) was gradually replaced through time by a second group of different species (bivalves). In contrast, the communities in Wollongong Harbour were dominated by inhibitory interactions. The succession in this area mainly involved species (particularly bryozoans) which colonised during the initial stages of development and remained in the communities as they continued to develop.
Changes in the succession of fouling communities from Port Kembla Harbour were thought to be due to the loss of pollution sensitive species, such as bryozoans, from the environment. This was not attributed to the acute, toxic effects of the pollutants, but rather to more subtle and indirect effects.     

Molecular evidence for three separate cryptic introductions of the red seaweed Asparagopsis (Bonnemaisoniales,Rhodophyta) in South Africa

The red seaweed genus Asparagopsis Montagne (Bonnemaisoniales) contains two widely introduced species that are considered notorious seaweed invaders worldwide, Asparagopsis armata and A. taxiformis, both characterised by heteromorphic, diplo-haplontic life histories. To uncover cryptic introductions of Asparagopsis along the South African coastline and identify ‘Falkenbergia’ isolates (i.e. tetrasporophytic life-history phase morphologically identical between species), the mitochon-drial cox2–3 spacer was sequenced from gametophytes of Asparagopsis taxiformis from Scottburgh, KwaZulu-Natal, on the East Coast, Knysna Lagoon on the South Coast and from tetrasporophytes, otherwise unidentifiable to species level, collected from False Bay near Cape Town on the South-West Coast and Tsitsikamma on the South Coast. Only tetrasporophytes of the temperate Asparagopsis armata were encountered from the Cape Peninsula (Cape Town) probably as far east as to Port St Johns, Eastern Cape province. This is considered an introduced species, and was first collected at Kommetjie (Cape Peninsula) in 1935. Gametophytes of the warm-temperate to tropical A. taxiformis were first collected at Reunion Rocks near Durban in 1984; the KwaZulu-Natal material studied here belongs to an Atlantic Mediterranean cryptic lineage. This taxon is an ecological dominant in some intertidal and shallow subtidal areas in northern KwaZulu-Natal, and is thus considered ‘introduced’ and ‘invasive’. In contrast, A. taxiformis gametophytes, collected in Knysna Lagoon in 2008, clustered with individuals of Indo-Pacific lineage 2. The latter is considered a major invasive lineage in the western Mediterranean, but at present is categorised as introduced in South Africa. This study provides molecular evidence of three independent, cryptic introductions in South Africa, one of them probably very recent, and this is discussed with respect to potential vectors responsible for transport.     

Metal uptake in zebrafish embryo-larvae exposed to metal-contaminated sediments

Heavy metal contamination in coastal and estuarine regions of inner Tolo Harbour, as well as some river and nullah areas, is one of the major water-pollution issues in Hong Kong. Zebrafish (Danio rerio) embryo-larvae was used to study metal uptake from coastal sediments collected from Fo Tan River (industrial area, Sha Tin), Tai Po River (residential area, Tai Po) and Wu Kai Sa (rural area, Tolo Harbour). Exposure experiments (7-days) were carried out using different concentrations (0.1%, 0.5%, 1% and 0% as control) of sediments that were added to aquaria containing fertilized zebrafish eggs until they hatched to become larvae. Uptake of heavy metals (Cd, Cu, Pb and Zn) was determined in whole embryo-larvae following exposure. Significant levels of Cd, Cu, Pb and Zn were detected in the embryo-larvae exposed to sediments from Tai Po River. However, significant levels of only Cd and Cu were found in embryo-larvae exposed to sediments from Fo Tan River.     

Distribution,population size and conservation of the Cape gannet Morus capensis

The Cape gannet is endemic to the southern African coast where it currently breeds at six islands: Mercury, Ichaboe and Possession off South West Africa and Bird (Lambert's Bay), Malgas and Bird (Algoa Bay) off South Africa. Previously, breeding also occurred at Hollams Bird, Halifax and Seal (False Bay) Islands. Equivocal records for Marcus, Dassen and Dyer Islands are not accepted. Off South West Africa, gannets were breeding at Hollams Bird, Mercury and Ichaboe Islands at least as early as 1828, but they only occupied Halifax and Possession Islands sometime between that date and c. 1885, possibly as a result of displacement of gannets from Ichaboe Island during exploitation of accumulated guano deposits in the early 1840s. Gannets bred at Hollams Bird Island until at least 1938, but had ceased breeding at Halifax Island by 1928. Off South Africa the earliest records of breeding are 1648, 1687, 1755 and 1912 for Malgas, Seal (False Bay), Bird (Port Elizabeth) and Bird (Lambert's Bay) Islands respectively. Gannets have not been reported at Seal Island since the late 17th century. On the west coast of Africa the Cape gannet is a regular nonbreeding winter visitor as far north as 4°20′N 6°00′E, but west of 6°E it is rare. On the east coast of Africa it is a common winter visitor as far north as Delagoa Bay, but farther north it is rare. Within its normal range the Cape gannet seldom occurs farther off shore than 100 km; it hardly ever moves inland. Aerial censuses of Cape gannets at breeding islands in 1967, 1969, 1978, 1980 and 1981 are compared with an aerial census conducted in 1956 and other published estimates of abundance. Between 1956 and 1980 the estimated number of breeding pairs at all colonies decreased from c. 150 000 to c. 80 000 and numbers decreased at all three extant gannetries off South West Africa. These decreases are attributed to a greatly diminished food resource following the collapse of the South West African pilchard stock after the late 1960s. The number of gannets decreased at Bird (Lambert's Bay) and Malgas Islands between 1956 and the late 1960s but subsequently increased, trends that are related to performances of the Western Cape pilchard and anchovy resources respectively. At Bird Island (Algoa Bay) gannets were up to 3,5 times more abundant in the late 1970s than in 1956. Other marine resources located east of Cape Point have shown similar large increases in recent years. Rates of increase of gannets at islands off South Africa during the 1970s would have required an unrealistically high survival for the first year had other population parameters remained constant. It is possible that birds emigrated from the South West African Islands. Few gannets have been reported oiled, and conservation of the species seems to be mainly affected by greatly reduced prey availability and injudicious guano harvesting. Human exploitation of juvenile gannets off the West African coast is difficult to assess.     

Book review

Marion and Prince Edward Islands. Report on the South African Biological and Geological Expedition 1965–1966. Edited by E. M. van Zinderen Bakker, J. M. Winterbottom and R. A. Dyer. Balkema, Cape Town. $25.33.     

基于生态文明思想的围填海历史遗留问题处理理论与实践——以大连港太平湾港区和中新天津生态城为例

长期大规模围填海活动在振兴沿海地区经济的同时,也严重破坏了海岸带生态系统。文章梳理了关于加强滨海湿地保护、严格管控围填海的一系列政策要求与技术指南;以大连港太平湾港区和中新天津生态城为例,分别分析了港口工业区和滨海生态旅游区的围填海历史遗留问题处理与生态保护修复实践,并提出了生态优先,绿色发展;自然恢复为主,人工修复为辅;陆海统筹,生态融合;问题导向,科学修复;科技支撑,示范带动等新发展阶段下海洋生态保护修复的建议。     

Coastal oceanic climate change and variability from 1982 to 2009 around South Africa

Changes and fluctuations in sea surface temperature (SST) around the South African coast are analysed at a monthly scale from 1982 to 2009. There is a statistically significant negative trend of up to 0.5 °C per decade in the southern Benguela from January to August, and a cooling trend of lesser magnitude along the South Coast and in the Port Elizabeth/Port Alfred region from May to August. The cooling is due to an increase in upwelling-favourable south-easterly and easterly winds. There is a positive trend in SST of up to 0.55 °C per decade in most parts of the Agulhas Current system during all months of the year, except for KwaZulu-Natal where warming is in summer. The warming was attributed to an intensification of the Agulhas Current in response to a poleward shift of westerly winds and an increase in trade winds in the South Indian Ocean at relevant latitudes. This intensification of the Agulhas Current could also have contributed to the coastal cooling in the Port Alfred dynamic upwelling region. The El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) is significantly positively correlated at a 95% level with the southern Benguela and South Coast from February to May, and negatively correlated with the Agulhas Current system south of 36° S. The correlation with the Antarctic Annular Oscillation is weaker and less coherent. El Niño suppresses upwelling along the coast, whereas La Niña increases it. Although there does not seem to be a linear relationship between the strength of the ENSO and the magnitude of coastal SST perturbation, El Niño and La Niña appear to be linked to major warm and cool events, respectively, at a seasonal scale in summer in the southern Benguela and along the South Coast. However, care must be taken in interpreting low-resolution reanalysed climate data (ERA40 and NCEP) and optimally interpolated Reynolds SST, such as used here.     

Toxicopathic liver lesions in English sole and chemical contaminant exposure in Vancouver Harbour,Canada

The prevalence of toxicopathic liver lesions in English sole (Pleuronectes vetulus) was determined along a presumed gradient of chemical contamination in Vancouver Harbour, Canada. Fish were captured from five sites in or near Vancouver Harbour, British Columbia, Canada. No toxicopathic lesions were observed in fish examined at the reference site (Howe Sound outside Vancouver Harbour), or at the outer harbour site. In contrast, 20-23% of the fish from three sites located in the central harbour, Indian Arm and Port Moody Arm had one or more types of toxicopathic lesions. Likewise, aromatic hydrocarbon (AH) metabolites measured in bile exhibited a gradient in levels from lower concentrations at the reference site to significantly higher levels in fish from Indian Arm and Port Moody Arm harbour sites. The occurrence of toxicopathic liver lesions was statistically associated with concentrations of AHs measured in sediment and AH metabolite levels measured in bile.     

The artisanal fishery for East Coast rock lobsters Panulirus homarus along the Wild Coast,South Africa

East coast rock lobsters Panulirus homarus are collected by the indigenous people of the Wild Coast, in the Eastern Cape, South Africa, and are sold to coastal hotels and holidaymakers. The South African government has proposed a small-scale commercial fishery based on P. homarus to improve socio-economic conditions in that region. Catch data and information on fishery operations were collected for the artisanal fishery from Coffee Bay, Presley Bay, Port St Johns and Mbotyi, as well as from a commercial buying station near the Mdumbi Estuary, between March 2003 and October 2005. The catch per unit effort of rock lobster poling varied from 13.5 ± 7.7 fisher^–1 outing^–1 at Port St Johns to 5.9 ± 3.1 fisher^–1 outing^–1 at Coffee Bay, but the number of fishers or fishing frequency could not be verified. About two-thirds of the lobsters caught (69%) were smaller than the minimum legal size. Hotels and the buying station complied with size limits, but cottages and campers often bought undersized lobsters. Smaller lobsters (females) are caught by poling than by diving. Geographical variations in poling effort and lobster mean sizes could be indicators of heavy fishing pressure on shallow, inshore reefs. The implications of commercialising the fishery and its associated management are discussed.     

Upwelling and ocean structures off Algoa Bay and the south-east coast of South Africa

As the Agulhas Current flows along the south-east coast of South Africa, a number of processes operate that bring cold, deep water up onto the narrow shelf. As a consequence, upwelling along the coastline is enhanced farther southward and downstream. This situation is investigated off Algoa Bay and along the south-east coast to Port Alfred, where measurements demonstrate that marked temperature variability occurs at the coastline, particularly in summer when temperature structures are more intense and easterly-component winds more common. There is no indication that upwelling is more prevalent at Port Alfred; increasing variability farther south is evident at Woody Cape/Cape Padrone, where the coastline veers westwards, forming the eastern boundary of Algoa Bay. Here it is found that, after a wind change to north-easterly, cold water is upwelled along the shoreline between 19 hours and 2.5 days later. Such upwelling progresses north-eastwards with the movement of the wind and weather systems, although colder water also moves south-westwards into Algoa Bay. Winds, currents, sea level and sea temperatures are highly correlated, with fluctuations in sea level measuring >50 cm being associated with coastal trapped waves (CTWs). Such barotropic wind-driven CTWs are frequently active during upwelling, although it is unclear whether there is any interaction between the two phenomena.     

海洋沉积物中碱性磷酸酶活力与水体污染的关系

厦门西港和香港维多利亚港近岸沉积物中碱笥磷酸酶活力与水体受污染程度的多项指标均表现出一定的相关性，如水体不ＢＯＤ５、无机氮、ＣＯＤ、无机磷等的含量及采样点离陆源排放点的距离等相关性较大，其相关性在水动力条件差的水域尤为显著。     

Latitudinal changes in siphonophore assemblages across the Atlantic sector of the Southern Ocean

Siphonophores are commonly considered to be useful indicators of water masses and water-mass movement, but their employment as such across the wider Southern Ocean has not so far been attempted. We redress this here using archived samples, collected during January–February 1993 along a transect from Cape Town to the South African National Antarctic Expedition (SANAE) base in Antarctica, and compare the patterns generated with those determined from a prior analysis of whole assemblages at lower taxonomic resolution. Twenty-one species were identified from 18 of the original 53 samples collected, and two distinct assemblages were confirmed as separated by the Sub-Antarctic Front. That to the south was characterised by low diversity and high abundance and was dominated by cold-water specialists, whereas that to the north comprised a larger number of subtropical and temperate species at low abundance. Assemblage structure was strongly influenced by the mixed layer depth, sea surface salinity and chlorophyll a concentration, as well as mesozooplankton biomass. Congruence with the whole-assemblage study was high, indicating that this taxon can be suitably employed as a proxy in studies such as this. The study emphasises the value of archived plankton samples and makes a plea for better curation.     

Vitellogenin in the blood plasma of male cod (Gadus morhua): a sign of oestrogenic endocrine disruption in the open sea?

An ELISA for cod vitellogenin (VTG) has been set up using cod lipovitellin for plate coating and standardisation. The assay has been applied to plasma samples collected from male and female cod caught in three distinct areas around the UK, three areas off the Norwegian coast and also to cod reared initially at an aquaculture site and subsequently maintained at a research station. The aim of the study was to determine whether there were any signs of oestrogenic endocrine disruption in a fish species living offshore. VTG induction was found in male cod caught in the North Sea, the Shetland Box area, in Oslofjord and also in cultivated fish. There was a strong relationship between concentrations of VTG and fish size. There was no evidence that the presence of VTG in the plasma of males is a natural part of their life cycle. On the other hand, the size of fish at which these elevated VTG concentrations appear (ca. 5 kg) is about the size that cod change from feeding primarily on benthic invertebrates to mainly other fish, both benthic and pelagic. The possibility is suggested that large cod pick up oestrogenic endocrine disrupters through the food chain.     

Distribution and movement of scalloped hammerhead Sphryna lewini and smooth hammerhead Sphyrna zygaena sharks along the east coast of southern Africa

Knowledge of population distribution and movement is crucial for the conservation and management of shark species occurring in coastal waters. From 1984 to 2009, 641 scalloped hammerheads Sphyrna lewini, 1 342 smooth hammerheads Sphyrna zygaena and 1 352 unspecified hammerheads Sphyrna spp. were tagged and released along the east coast of South Africa, with recapture rates of 1.9%, 1.5%, and 0.7% respectively. Maximum and average distance moved was 629 km and 147.8 km (95% CI = 33.0–262.7 km) for S. lewini and 384 km and 141.8 km (95% CI = 99.1–184.5 km) for S. Zygaena respectively. The majority of sharks (68% S. lewini, 74.1% S. zygaena and 33.5% Spyrna spp.) were tagged in the Transkei region, with the largest number tagged in Port St Johns. Across regions, most tagged sharks were >50–100 cm precaudal length (PCL), except in Transkei where more sharks >100–150 cm PCL were tagged. In the Western Cape, Southern Cape and Eastern Cape, few sharks were tagged during the autumn/winter months, whereas in KwaZulu-Natal and Transkei sharks were tagged throughout the year. Large-scale directional movements observed may have been migrations in response to seasonal sea surface temperature changes. We identify coastal locations in Transkei that are of importance to juvenile and subadult hammerhead populations year-round.     

Assessment of putative endocrine disrupters in an in vivo crustacean assay and an in vitro insect assay

Concern over endocrine disrupters in coastal ecosystems has stimulated global efforts to understand their potential impacts on fish and invertebrate communities. Given that marine crustaceans are sensitive to the effects of alkylphenols and other xenobiotics, we are currently investigating whether these responses may be caused via an endocrine mechanism. Tisbe battagliai (Copepoda: Harpacticoida) is representative of an ecologically important group of meiofauna, is sensitive to toxicants and is used as an international test species in marine ecotoxicology. A 21-day life-cycle test that incorporates assessment of survival, development, reproduction and sex ratios, has shown that populations of T. battagliai are not significantly affected by environmentally relevant levels of steroidal oestrogen agonists, or by related synthetic receptor agonists. The absence of in vivo effects due to these steroid agonists and antagonists prompted in vitro studies of ecdysteroid receptor activity of a range of reference compounds and environmental contaminants with an ecdysteroid receptor (EcR/USP)-based screening assay derived from the BII haemocyte line of Drosophila melanogaster. The implications for environmental monitoring of endocrine disrupters are discussed.