Gladstone Fish Health Investigation 2011 - 2012 - Western Basin ...

Contaminants in Tissue of Fish and Crabs Collected in the Gladstone Area400350300250Zinc19941996200520062012200150100500NormanbyBarronJohnstoneTullyHerbertGordonBurdekinO'ConnellPioneerFitzroyGladstone HarbourGladstone PortGladstone NarrowsBurnettMaroochyBrisbaneFigure 12 – Mean measured zinc concentrations (±SE) in mud crab (Scylla serrata) hepatopancreas(mg/kg dry weight) from historical surveys along the east coast of Queensland (1996-2006) and datafrom this study. Note: Gladstone Harbour samples from 1996 included data from the Harbour and theNarrows, Gladstone Port 2012 samples were collected from the Port Development Area. 1996 data fromMortimer (2000); 2005-2006 data from Negri et al (2009).A PCA of the same data also indicated that the measured concentrations of metals and metalloidsin crab hepatopancreas were similar to other catchments and historical data (Figure 13).If tissue metal concentrations are linked to organism health, one might expect that theconcentrations at Gladstone would be higher than those from other areas. The fact that the tissueconcentrations from Gladstone are fairly typical indicates that metal and metalloids in tissues arenot responsible for the organism health issues at Gladstone.Page 19