Metal bioaccumulation and physiological condition of the Pacific oyster (Crassostrea gigas) reared in two shellfish basins and a marina in Normandy (northwest France)

A 5-month experiment combining a geochemical survey of metals with a bioaccumulation study in batches of

Crassostrea gigas was conducted in two shellfish farming areas and a marina in Normandy (France). Various

endpoints at different levels of biological organization were studied. ROCCH data showed differences in biota

contamination between the two shellfish areas but the present study revealed only slight differences in metallic

contamination and biomarkers. By contrast, significantly different valueswere recorded in themarina in comparison

with the two other sites. Indeed, higher levels of Cd, Cu and Zn were measured in the oysters from the

marina, and these oysters also showed a poorer physiological condition (e.g., condition index, histopathological

alterations and neutral lipid content). For coastal monitoring, the multi-biomarker approach coupled with an

assessment of metallic contamination in biota appeared to be suitable for discriminating spatial differences in

environmental quality after only a few months of exposure.