Biomonitoring of trace metals in the Gulf of Gdansk, using mussels (Mytilus trossulus) and barnacles (Balanus improvisus)

In a preliminary biomonitoring study, accumulated trace metal concentrations (Cu, Zn, Fe, Cd, Pb, Mn, Ni) have been measured in the mussel Mytilus trossulus and the barnacle Balanus improvisus collected in the Gulf of Gdansk, Poland in 1998. Mussels were collected from five sites in May 1998, and from one site in each of January and February 1998. Barnacles were collected simultaneously from four of the five sites in May 1998. Analysis of covariance has shown significant geographical and temporal differences in the local bioavailabilities of trace metals to mussels and barnacles, as reflected in the concentrations of accumulated trace metals. It is concluded that the mussel and barnacle are suitable biomonitors to employ in programmes designed to assess changes in metal pollution in the Gulf of Gdansk, one of the most metal polluted parts of the Baltic Sea, due to the outflow of the River Vistula.