Assessment of the toxicity of sediment and seawater polluted by the Prestige fuel spill using bioassays with clams (Venerupis pullastra, Tappes decussatus and Venerupis rhomboideus) and the microalga Skeletonema costatum

Abstract

In this study we present the early monitoring of the pollution caused by the accident of the Prestige tanker off the Galician coast. To evaluate the toxicity of sediment and water exposed to fuel, three kinds of bioassays were carried out using juvenile clams, clam embryos and microalgae. Firstly, the burrowing behaviour of Venerupis pullastra and Tappes decussatus in the sediment collected from two beaches of similar characteristics but different pollution conditions, was studied over 24 h. No significant differences were observed between the two sediments. Secondly, embryogenesis success of Venerupis rhomboideus was recorded after incubation in seawater and elutriates obtained from affected areas. In this case, fuel-polluted seawater showed a marked inhibition of embryogenesis, while sediment elutriates showed moderate toxicity. Parallel bioassays with the diatom Skeletonema costatum were carried out using sediment elutriates and filtered seawater from the sampling sites. The response variable measured was the maximum quantum yield of photosynthesis (Φ_po) using a Fast Repetition Rate Fluorometer (FRRF). In the first sampling, significant differences were found in the response of S. costatum cultured in the elutriates as compared to the control after 5 h exposure. The results corresponding to the second sampling showed statistically significant lower values of Φ_po in the culture incubated in M2 water as compared with the control, indicating that the water-accommodated fraction of fuel at this site was the most toxic.