BIOACCUMULATION OF HEAVY METALS IN SEAHORSE TISSUE AT THE ROMANIAN BLACK SEA COAST

This paper analyzes the concentrations of five heavy metals (Cu, Cd, Pb, Ni, Cr) in the whole tissue of the long-snouted seahorse (Hippocampus guttulatus), as compared to heavy metal concentrations recorded in the surrounding water and sediments, expressed by the Bioconcentration Factor (BCF) and the Biota-Sediment Bioaccumulation Factor (BSAF). These two factors are a measure of the extent of chemical sharing between the organism and the surrounding environment. The seahorse (Hippocampus guttulatus) samples were collected from three sampling locations along the southern Romanian coast. Water and sediment samples were also collected from the same sampling locations, and subsequently all samples were analyzed using standard methods. The analyses showed that seahorses do bioaccumulate elements such as Cu, Cd, Pb, Ni, Cr, certain differences being reported between stations and chemical element. The conclusion of this research on the heavy metal bioaccumulation in the Black Sea Hippocampus guttulatus whole tissue confirms the hypothesis that seahorses, like most of marine species, bioaccumulate the heavy metals reaching the aquatic environment, which could pose a threat to the species if concentrations significantly overtake normal background levels.