Turkish Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
2012, Vol 12, Num, 5 (Pages: 461-469)
Long-term Effects of Kerch Strait Residual Oil-Spill: Hydrocarbon Concentration in Bottom Sediments and Biomarkers in Mytilus galloprovincialis (Lamarck, 1819)
Galina Antonovna Kolyuchkina 1 ,Nikolay Aleksandrovich Belyaev 1 ,Vassily Albertovich Spiridonov 1 ,U.V. Simakova 1
1 Shirshov Institute of Oceanology Russian Academy of Sciences. 36, Nahimovski prospect, 117997, Moscow, Russia
DOI :
10.4194/1303-2712-v12_2_37
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Tamanskij Bay opens into the Kerch Strait which connects the Black and the Azov seas and houses the shallow
ecosystem which is the most important in the Russian part of the Black Sea. This ecosystem is dominated by sea grasses
(Zostera marina etc). We have been studying bottom sediment hydrocarbons distribution and biomarkers of the pollution in
Mytilus galloprovincialis for two years after the wreck of “Volgoneft’ 139” and spilling of more than 1.5 thousand t of
residual oil in the Kerch Strait in November 2007. The high level of hydrocarbons in bottom sediments was observed within
the analysis of samples taken in 2008 (to 1.5 mg/g). The hydrocarbon level in bottom sediments significantly decreased by
July 2009. The n-alkanes distribution analysis reveals two following pollution sources in study area: accidental pollution by
residual oil after spill and local pollution sources related to the settlements and the ports. The study of biomarkers in mussels
indicated the oil spill pollution effects only.
As the considered study reveals, at present the ecosystem overcomes the negative effects of the oil spill due to its selfpurification
sources. However, in case of the recurrent pollution, the situation may change.
Keywords :
n-Alkanes, organic matter, hemocytes, micronucleus, histopathology