Suitability and Sensitivity of Golden Grey Mullet Chelon auratus (Risso, 1810) as a Reference Fish Species for Ecotoxicity Tests in the Black Sea

Victor Niță; Magda Nenciu; Valentina Coatu

doi:10.3390/toxics10050222

Suitability and Sensitivity of Golden Grey Mullet Chelon auratus (Risso, 1810) as a Reference Fish Species for Ecotoxicity Tests in the Black Sea

Toxics. 2022 Apr 28;10(5):222. doi: 10.3390/toxics10050222.

Authors

Victor Niță¹, Magda Nenciu¹, Valentina Coatu²

Affiliations

¹ Marine Living Resources Department, National Institute for Marine Research and Development "Grigore Antipa", 300 Mamaia Blvd., 900581 Constanta, Romania.
² Chemical Oceanography and Marine Pollution Department, National Institute for Marine Research and Development "Grigore Antipa", 300 Mamaia Blvd., 900581 Constanta, Romania.

Abstract

In recent years, hydrocarbon exploration and production operations have intensified in the Black Sea. Alongside growth in exploration and production activities, the influence of chemical usage across multiple industrial sectors within the Black Sea environment has become increasingly interesting. The aim of this research was to define a protocol for determining the acute toxicity of chemicals using the golden grey mullet, Chelon auratus (Risso, 1810), a native pelagic fish species of the Black Sea. Juvenile golden grey mullets were exposed for 96 h, under semi-static conditions, to dilutions of the reference toxicant 3,5-Dichlorophenol. Results from three reference toxicity tests (LC₅₀ = 1.25 mg/L, 1.739 mg/L, and 1.409 mg/L) indicated that C. auratus is of moderate sensitivity when compared to literature values from EPAs Ecotox database. The protocol described within is intended to ensure Black Sea native organisms are represented by standard hazard assessment practices.

Keywords: acute toxicity; ecotoxicity; golden grey mullet; protocol; reference species; sensitivity.

Grants and funding

This research was funded by private companies and the APC was covered by the Nucleu Intelmar Programme, funded by the Romanian Ministry of Education and Research, project no. PN 19260301.