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ABSTRACT
To assess coastal ecosystem status and pollution baselines, prawns were collected from the commercial catches of eight Asia-Pacific countries (Australia, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Myanmar, Philippines, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Thailand). Samples collected from 21 sites along regional coastlines were analysed for trace metal and stable isotopic compositions of H, C, N, O and S. A combination of simple averaging and multivariate analyses was used to evaluate the data. Sites could be assigned to easily recognise polluted and unpolluted groups based on the prawn results. Some filter-feeding clams were also collected and analysed together with the benthic-feeding prawns, and the prawns generally had lower trace metal burdens. Climate change effects were not strongly evident at this time, but altered ocean circulation and watershed run-off patterns accompanying future climate change are expected to change chemical patterns recorded by prawns along these and other coastlines. Stable isotopes, especially 15N, can help to distinguish between relatively polluted and unpolluted sites.
Acknowledgements
This study was conducted in the framework of and supported by the IAEA technical cooperation project RAS/7/024 ‘Supporting Nuclear and Isotopic Techniques to Assess Climate Change for Sustainable Marine Ecosystem Management’. We thank participants from IAEA workshops held in Sri Lanka and Malaysia for helping develop this project, and the many participating scientists and staff who collected or purchased samples in the eight countries and did initial sample preparation work in their laboratories. The IAEA is grateful for the support provided to its Environment Laboratories by the Government of the Principality of Monaco.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.