The Response of Blood Biomarkers of the Round Goby Neogobius melanostomus (Pallas, 1814) (Perciformes: Gobiidae) to Chronic Coastal Pollution in the Sea of Azov

Abstract

The long-term variations in blood biomarkers and weight–size characteristics of the round goby, Neogobius melanostomus (Pallas, 1814), have been studied in specimens collected from two sites of the southwestern Sea of Azov. The fish from catches of 2011–2012 showed a decrease in the size and weight parameters and an increase in the antioxidant enzyme activities and the level of oxidized serum proteins compared to the values in the fish caught in 2003. The ecological causes of the observed differences and the possibility of using the studied fish blood biomarkers in programs of monitoring the marine coastal waters are discussed.