Contaminant pathways in Port Curtis: Final report - OzCoasts

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Contaminant pathways in Port Curtis: Final report1: IntroductionThe HHRA identified mercury concentrations in large barramundi as a potentialconcern for the health of adult and child populations likely to consume fish fromthis area. It should be noted that this is a general public health issue affectingmost regions of Australia and is not exclusive to Port Curtis.The study flagged a number of areas that required further study and possiblemanagement actions:(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)The sources of contaminants that are bioaccumulated by organisms inPort Curtis should be identified. Further field surveys conducted over awider geographical area and scenario modelling of contaminantdispersion using the recently developed hydrodynamic model of PortCurtis (Herzfeld et al. 2003) may allow the differentiation of naturalversus anthropogenic sources of metals and help resolve these issues.The sources of particulate arsenic and naphthalene in benthicsediments should be elucidated. It is highly likely that bothcontaminants originate from natural sources.The ecological health of organisms that have increased metal burdensshould be evaluated. This may be achieved by measuring sublethalstress indicators such as enzyme biomarkers in selected organisms.The impact of butyltin antifoulants on Port Curtis should be evaluatedby measuring the incidence of imposex in gastropods. This is the mostreliable and sensitive indicator of exposure.A screening level risk assessment of organic contaminants which werenot covered in this study should be conducted. In particular, the risksassociated with dioxins and poly-chlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), whichwere identified as potential chemical stressors in this study, should beevaluated.It was recognised that the role of pulse events (e.g. storms anddredging) which may result in periodic introduction of contaminants andsediments from the surrounding catchment area should be evaluated.Current risk assessment protocols are only directed at understandingthe effects of steady-state contaminant exposure on organisms.Further work is required to understand the factors leading to thebioaccumulation of mercury by barramundi (e.g. sources of mercury,fish size and age). Additional survey work is required to determine ifother piscivorous fish are also high accumulators of mercury. It wasnoted that mercury bioaccumulation is an issue of interest along theentire Queensland Coast and not just isolated to Port Curtis.5
Contaminant pathways in Port Curtis: Final report1: Introduction1.3 Study objectivesFollowing extensive scoping activities which included discussions with localstakeholders and CRC members, a number of specific goals for the Port CurtisContaminant Pathways project were developed. The goals comprised a mixture ofscientific investigations with direct linkages to Port Curtis and some frontierresearch activities which would advance the ability to assess contaminant impacts.These goals were as follows:(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)Identification of the sources of dissolved and particulate contaminantsto Port CurtisFurther development of the Port Curtis hydrodynamic model and itsapplication to contaminant managementDevelopment and trial of sublethal biomarker tests for assessingorganism health in Port Curtis (including an investigation on thebiological effects of TBT)Characterisation of metal bioaccumulation pathways affecting keyorganisms residing in Port CurtisExamination of the effect of contaminant pulse events on biologicalresponses. It was recognised that pulse exposure to contaminants isprobably a more realistic scenario for Port Curtis than steady-state,continuous exposure.The Contaminant Pathways study commenced in June 2003 and finished inOctober 2005. This report summarises the outputs of the study. Further detailedinformation of the specific studies conducted may be found in the reports andpublications which are referenced at the end of each chapter.6
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Contaminant pathways in Port Curtis: Final report - OzCoasts

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