The 13C, 15N and 34S signatures of a rocky reef planktivorous fish indicate different coastal discharges of sewage
Troy F. Gaston A B C , Antionette Kostoglidis A and Iain M. Suthers A
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations
A School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Science, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia.
B Present address: Faculty of Science, University of the Sunshine Coast, Maroochydore DC, Qld 4558, Australia.
C Corresponding author. Email: tgaston@usc.edu.au
Marine and Freshwater Research 55(7) 689-699 https://doi.org/10.1071/MF03142
Submitted: 23 September 2003 Accepted: 19 August 2004 Published: 1 October 2004
Abstract
We assessed the effects of primary, secondary and tertiary treated sewage on the stable isotope composition of the viscera and muscle of the zooplanktivorous eastern hula fish (Plesiopidae: Trachinops taeniatus). Fish were collected from three regions during three consecutive summer months for 2 years. In comparison to fish from control sites, the muscle δ15N of fish at outfall sites was significantly enriched by secondary and tertiary treated effluent. We estimate that 30–50% of nitrogen in hula fish near outfalls may be sewage-derived. The δ34S content of muscle was similar at all regions and sites (20–21‰), although it was significantly depleted by 1–2‰ at the tertiary treated outfall site. Detection of a comparatively minor volume of effluent (<6 ML day–1) in fish muscle may be due to its slower tissue turnover rate and the continuous discharge of effluent at outfall sites, compared to major yet sporadic rainfall or oceanographic events. The isotopic composition of hula fish from near a large primary treated sewage outfall off the coast of Sydney was not significantly different from one of the control sites, indicating a regional effect of four outfalls discharging >1000 ML day–1. With increasing upgrades to sewage treatment, stable isotopes may become useful tracers of anthropogenic nutrients in an oligotrophic environment.
Extra keywords: food chain dynamics, planktivorous fish, sewage, stable isotope analysis.
Acknowledgments
We acknowledge the financial support of the Australian Research Council and the Sea World Research and Rescue Foundation Inc. Thanks to Richard Piola who assisted with many of the analyses, and to Sharon Longford, Steven Rutten and Jocelyn Dela-Cruz for assistance with fieldwork.
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