Health indicators and contaminant levels of a critically endangered species in the Gironde estuary, the European sturgeon

Marie-Laure Acolas (1) , Blandine Davail (2) , Patrice Gonzalez (3) , Séverine Jean (4) , Christelle Clérandeau (2) , Bénédicte Morin (2) , Pierre-Yves Gourves (2) , Guillemine Daffe (2) , Pierre Labadie (2) , Annie Perrault (4) , Mathilde Lauzent (2) , Maud Pierre (1) , Romaric Le Barh (1) , Magalie Baudrimont (2) , Laurent Peluhet (2) , Karyn Le Menach (2) , Hélène Budzinski (2) , Eric Rochard (1) , Jérôme Cachot (2)

1 UR EABX - Ecosystèmes aquatiques et changements globaux
2 EPOC - Environnements et Paléoenvironnements OCéaniques
3 LEESA - Laboratoire d'Ecophysiologie et Ecotoxicologie des Systèmes Aquatiques
4 LEFE - Laboratoire Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Environnement

The European sturgeon, Acipenser sturio, is a highly endangered species that almost disappeared in the last decades. Thanks to yearly restocking of the population, this species is still found in the Gironde estuary (France), where juveniles grow during several years before leaving to the ocean. The aims of this study were to evaluate the pressure exerted on these fish by known organic and inorganic contaminants during their stay at the Gironde estuary, and to get information on the fish's health in this context. Monthly captures over the year 2014 provided 87 fish from the cohorts 2012 and 2013 mainly, and from cohorts 2008, 2009, and 2011, all fish born in hatchery. We report the very first analyses of contaminant levels and of biological markers measured in the blood of these fish.

Mots clés: Estuary; Gene transcription; Genotoxicity; Inorganic and organic contaminants; Sex steroid; Sturgeon.

Domaines: Sciences de l'environnement

Marie-Laure Acolas, Blandine Davail, Patrice Gonzalez, Séverine Jean, Christelle Clérandeau, et al.. Health indicators and contaminant levels of a critically endangered species in the Gironde estuary, the European sturgeon. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 2020, 27 (4), pp.3726-3745. ⟨10.1007/s11356-019-05139-5⟩. ⟨hal-02117262⟩