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Mass mortality of fish and water quality assessment in the tropical Adyar estuary, South India

Environmental Monitoring and Assessment volume 191, Article number: 512 (2019) Cite this article

Abstract

Mass mortality of fishes was reported at the Adyar estuary, South India, during November 2017. The probable reasons for fish mortality are analyzed in this paper. Critical assessments on water quality parameters including the metal concentrations, nutrients, and histology of gills and liver of fish (Mugil cephalus) isolated from the impact zone were performed. Among the metals observed, chromium showed levels (3.64 ± 0.001 mg L−1) much above the average permissible limits (0.1 mg L−1). The measured values of physico-chemical parameters in the impact zone are as follows: dissolved oxygen 4.7 ± 0.22 mg L−1, total alkalinity 132 ± 4 CaCO3 mg L−1, salinity 5.3 ± 0.3 PSU, temperature 27.8 ± 0.16 °C, nitrate, 1.66 ± 0.48 mg L−1, nitrite 0.01 ± 0.0008 mg L−1, ammonia 0.03 ± 0.001 mg L−1, phosphate 1.52 ± 0.002 mg L−1, and silicate 13.85 ± 3.1 mg L−1. The low salinity could have escalated the toxicity of the metal. In addition, histology of gills and liver showed cellular necrosis, epithelial lifting, hyperplasia, edema, mucous cell proliferation in the gills, cytoplasmic vacuolation of hepatocytes, and degeneration of liver which reveal that chromium toxicity is the most probable cause for mass mortality.

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Authors are grateful to Dr. T. Sasipraba, the Pro-Vice-Chancellor and the management of Satyabhama Institute of Science and Technology for their support and facilities.

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  1. Center for Climate Change Studies, International Research Center, Sathyabama Institute of Science and Technology, Chennai, India

    Umer Khalifa Saleem Raja, Vinitha Ebenezer, Amit Kumar & Prakash Sanjeevi

  2. Environmental Research Laboratory, P.G. and Research Department of Zoology, Jamal Mohamed College (Autonomous), Tiruchirappalli, Tamil Nadu, 620020, India

    Murali Murugesan

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Saleem Raja, U.K., Ebenezer, V., Kumar, A. et al. Mass mortality of fish and water quality assessment in the tropical Adyar estuary, South India. Environ Monit Assess 191, 512 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-019-7636-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-019-7636-4

Keywords

  • Fish
  • Mugil cephalus
  • Mass mortality
  • Adyar estuary
  • Chromium toxicity
  • Physico-chemical parameters
  • Histology