Our study was based on the recent increase in
wastewater pollution and its deleterious effects to the
marine ecosystem. Using numerical simulation (DESCAR-
3.2 software program), we investigated the orientation and
quantification of trace metals in wastewater discharges
from permanent and semi-permanent drain outfalls constructed
along the Kuwait Coastline encompassing six
Kuwait Governorates (GI-GVI). This study was related to
trace metals toxicity and bioaccumulation effects on the
commercial yellow fin Sea bream,
Acanthopagrus latus
fish using probit program and bioaccumulation factor
(BAF), respectively. Observations from wastewater discharges
showed high trace metals concentrations in the
sequence of Zn>Cr>Cu>Fe>Ni>Pb>Hg during
winter compared to summer and in GI and GIV compared
to drain outfalls in the other Governorates. Seasonally,
trace metals in
A. latus revealed the sequence of
Zn>Fe>Cu>Ni>Cr>Pb>Hg in GI, GII and GIV
indicating the significance of toxic metals that bioaccumulated
from their surrounding untreated wastewater.
Toxicity test revealed
A. latus highly sensitive to Hg even
at low lethal concentrations (LC
15) compared to other
metals. BAF in
A. latus body parts was [1 indicating
significant accumulation of trace metals from wastewater.
However, BAF was>1 in Cr suggesting that
A. latus could
absorb trace metals from multiple sources over lengthy
exposure period and not necessarily from wastewater
containing rich Cr levels. Thus, the present findings validate
A. latus as bioindicator to pollution more authentically
by numerical simulation, toxicity and bioaccumulation
tests compared to the traditional method of labeling
A.
latus as a pollution indicator.
