Antibiotics in marine aquaculture farms surrounding Laizhou Bay, Bohai Sea: Distribution characteristics considering various culture modes and organism species

This study mainly investigated the distribution characteristics and risk assessment of 14 antibiotics in typical marine aquaculture farms surrounding the Bohai Sea. The effects of various culture modes (outdoor pond culture, recirculating water culture, greenhouse pond culture, raft culture, cage culture and bottom sowing culture), and diverse cultured organism species such as fish (grouper, bass, pike and turbot), mollusk (oyster, scallop, conch and mussel) and sea cucumber on the distribution of antibiotics in different mariculture pond matrices (seawater, sediment/biofilm and organism) were studied. In addition, antibiotic pollution levels in various matrices (water, sediment, organism and feed) from different mariculture areas surrounding the Bohai Sea and the Yellow Sea were compared. The biofilm on the inner wall of greenhouse pond was more capable of accumulating antibiotics than the biofilm attached to the rope for raft culture and net for cage culture, and other culture sediments. The antibiotic concentration level in the culture matrices (water, sediment/biofilm and organism) was the highest under greenhouse pond culture mode, and that under the industrial recirculating water culture mode was the lowest. Antibiotic concentration in culture matrices of fish ponds was higher than that of sea cucumber ponds and mollusk ponds. The levels of antibiotics in water and sediment from marine aquaculture farms in Laizhou (Bohai Sea coast) were higher than those in Haiyang and Jimo (Yellow Sea coast). Enrofloxacin in turbot might cause considerable harm to human health, and the risk of antibiotics in other seafood could be ignored. Antibiotic ecological risks and resistance risks were generally low in water. Fluoroquinolones posed medium to high ecological risks in the natural receiving water around the mariculture farm. Trimethoprim and enrofloxacin showed relatively high antibiotic resistance risks in mariculture water and natural water, which might exert selective pressure on the bacterial community in the environment. (C) 2020 Published by Elsevier B.V.

Automated summary

This study investigated distribution characteristics and risk assessment of antibiotics in marine aquaculture farms surrounding the Bohai Sea. Different culture modes and species affected antibiotic distribution. Greenhouse ponds had highest antibiotic concentration, while industrial recirculating water culture had the lowest. Antibiotic levels were higher in fish ponds compared to sea cucumber ponds and mollusk ponds. Antibiotic pollution levels varied in different mariculture areas surrounding the Bohai Sea and Yellow Sea.