title: Anguilliform fish reveal large scale contamination by mine trace elements in the coral reefs of New Caledonia.
abstract: Due to intensive mining activity, increasing urbanization and industrialization, vast amounts of contaminants are discharged into the lagoon of New Caledonia, one of the largest continuous coral reef systems and a major biodiversity hotspot. The levels of 11 trace element concentrations were examined in the muscles of predator fish in the south-western lagoon (moray eels and congers). These species are sedentary, widespread, abundant, and they are easily collected using a sea snake sampling technique. We found the highest mean and maximal concentrations of different trace elements ever found in coral fish, notably regarding trace elements typical from mining activity (e.g., mean values for Cr and Ni, respectively: 5.53 ± 6.99 μg g(-1) [max, 35.7 μg g(-1)] and 2.84 ± 3.38 μg g(-1) [max, 18.0 μg g(-1)]). Results show that important trace element contamination extends throughout the lagoon to the barrier reef, following a concentration gradient from the oldest nickel factory (Nouméa).
authors.affiliation: Centre d'Etudes Biologiques de Chizé, CEBC - CNRS UPR 1934, 79360 Villiers en Bois, France. Electronic address: bonnet@cebc.cnrs.fr.
authors.forename: Xavier
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Bonnet
authors.affiliation: Centre d'Etudes Biologiques de Chizé, CEBC - CNRS UPR 1934, 79360 Villiers en Bois, France; Université de la Nouvelle-Calédonie, Laboratoire LIVE, LABEX Corail, BP R4, 98851 Nouméa Cedex, New Caledonia.
authors.forename: Marine J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Briand
authors.affiliation: Centre d'Etudes Biologiques de Chizé, CEBC - CNRS UPR 1934, 79360 Villiers en Bois, France.
authors.forename: François
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Brischoux
authors.affiliation: Université de la Nouvelle-Calédonie, Laboratoire LIVE, LABEX Corail, BP R4, 98851 Nouméa Cedex, New Caledonia.
authors.forename: Yves
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Letourneur
authors.affiliation: Centre d'Etudes Biologiques de Chizé, CEBC - CNRS UPR 1934, 79360 Villiers en Bois, France.
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Fauvel
authors.affiliation: Littoral Environnement et Sociétés (LIENSs), UMR 7266 CNRS - Université La Rochelle, 2 rue Olympe de Gouges, F-17000 La Rochelle, France.
authors.forename: Paco
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Bustamante
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D057894:Coral Reefs; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D005399:Fishes / Q000378:metabolism*; D008906:Mining; D009510:New Caledonia; D012623:Seawater / Q000737:chemistry; D014131:Trace Elements / Q000378:metabolism*; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D014131:Trace Elements; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical
keywords: Chromium; Lagoon; Mines; Nickel; Sea kraits; Trace elements