Assessing the Water Quality and Environmental Persistence of Biological and Chemical Hazards in Selected Aquaculture Areas of Zhuhai City
摘要
Aquaculture is one of the key industries in Zhuhai city of China, where various seafoods such as sea bass (Lateolabrax japonicus), whiteleg shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei), and yellowfin sea bream (Sparus latus) are produced and delivered to other provincial markets each year. The growing demand for fish and shellfish products is driven by increased awareness of their nutritional value and health benefits. The domestic aquaculture can be expanded with exploring more ponds for raising marine food animals, but the water quality is substantially associated with the quality and safety of aquatic foods. In this study, we selected 2 representative aquaculture companies and 4 surrounding estuary rivers as the targets, to periodically investigate the water quality via a 5-month duration in 2024. The chemical residues and microbiological contamination in water sources and sampled seafoods were also selectively analyzed. No pesticide or antibiotic residues were detected in the river water samples, while the unqualified pond water in the aquaculture companies was attributed to the high total nitrogen (above 5.0 mg/L) and total phosphorus contents (above 1.0 mg/L) resulted from the marine fish growth season with contribution rates of 18.3% and 33.6% respectively. The sea bass and sea bream samples were detected positive in iridoviruses and the presence of enrofloxacin (327 µg/kg fish sample), indicating the necessity in safety assurance in future studies.