The Response of Sobaity Sea Bream Sparidentex hasta Larvae to the Toxicity of Dispersed and Undispersed Oil

Accidental oil spillages can release millions of barrels of oil into the marine environment threatening aquatic wildlife like fisheries. As a part of the oil spill response strategy, several chemical dispersants have been recommended that have been successfully used elsewhere. However, the adverse effects of dispersed oil are unknown to fish species in Kuwait. Therefore, this study investigated the toxicity of water-accommodated fraction (WAF) and chemically enhanced water-accommodated fraction (CEWAF) of Kuwait crude oil (KCO) with three dispersants (Corexit (R) 9500, Corexit (R) 9527, and Slickgone (R) NS) against the larvae of the sobaity sea bream Sparidentex hasta which is of an international economic significance. Total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPH) were used for comparison of chemical compounds partitioned in WAF of dispersed and non-dispersed oil. Toxicity test results with fish larvae showed that WAF of non-dispersed oil and Corexit (R) 9527 treated CEWAF had similar LC50 values (0.12 g oil. l(-1)) whereas CEWAF's of Corexit (R) 9500 and Slickgone (R) NS CEWAF showed lower toxicity.

Automated summary

This study investigated the toxicity of dispersed Kuwait crude oil with different dispersants on fish larvae, finding that in some cases, dispersants can reduce toxicity.