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Figure 2. 7-Ethoxyresorufin-O-deethylase activity. See Figure 1 for a Figure 3. Benzo(a)pyrene monooxygenase activity. See Figure 1 for
description of 1N, Zone A, Zone B, and Zone C. a description of 1N, Zone A, Zone B, and Zone C.

and 1N, respectively). Statistically significant differences were the main (or the only significant) source of contamination in the
observed between Favignana Harbor station and Zone A of MPA, suggesting lower environmental quality at Station 1N
Maraone (Station 2A) and Zone C of Marettimo (Station 1C). than in Zone A stations. Further studies are needed before the
A weak but significant (r ¼ 0.624; p , 0.01) positive linear harbor can be declared as having a significant impact on aquatic
regression was in fact observed between EROD and BaPMO environmental quality of the surrounding area.
activities in this species (Fig. 4).
Because our study is only preliminary, we cannot exclude the
Many studies have demonstrated the importance of CYP1A possibility that the lack of significant differences—for instance,
activities as biomarkers of exposure in marine fishes (3), but few between Zone A and Zones B and C—may indeed be due to lack
data exist on the rainbow wrasse. The best comparison with the of significant differences in contamination by EROD inducers.
present data is a previous biomonitoring study conducted by Although measurement of EROD activity in fish is one of the
our group (31) in which specimens collected in four inshore most reliable and widely used biomarkers of pollution impact (3,
areas of the Adriatic Sea showed EROD and BaPMO activities 13), it may fail to provide results reflecting water pollution. A
of 0.467–1.216 nmol minÀ1 mg protÀ1 and 3.23–35.9 FU hÀ1 mg few biomonitoring studies reported poor sensitivity of EROD
protÀ1, respectively. Two- or threefold increases in enzyme activity in teleost fish species in discriminating between aquatic
activities were observed in species from different sites, and these areas with different impact of pollutants: no correlation between
results seemed consistent with the theoretical pollution gradient EROD activity and total PCB levels in fish muscle or sediment
of the study area. Consequently, we suggested that CYP1A- was found by Machala et al. (53) in specimens of common carp
catalyzed enzyme activities in C. julis might be good biomarkers (Cyprinus carpio) sampled in five ponds with different degrees of
for coastal environment quality assessment. An exposure study organic chemical contamination in the Czech Republic. Stege-
carried out on a similar wrasse species, the corking wrasse man et al. (54) failed to find significant correlations between
(Symphodus melops), showed a 20-fold increase in EROD EROD or aryl hydrocarbon hydroxylase (AHH, a CYP1A-
activity in specimens exposed to 12 mg kgÀ1 fish weight of the related enzyme activity) and aquatic PCB contamination in
potent P450 inducer b-naphthoflavone (BNF) for 2 d compared specimens of winter flounder (Pseudopleuronectes americanus)
with untreated wrasse (49). In the present study, more evident from five sites with differential anthropogenic pollution off
differences between Station 1N and Zone A were indicated by coastal Massachusetts. Van der Oost et al. (55) did not observe
BaPMO activity. Enzyme levels measured in Station 1N were any significant direct correlation between EROD activities in
1.5–5.5-fold higher than those measured in Zone A. specimens of European eel (Anguilla anguilla) and levels of MFO
inducers in their river water.
On the whole, hepatic CYP1A-catalyzed enzyme activities in
C. julis may be interpreted as suggesting similar aquatic Figure 4. Scatterplot of EROD activity vs BaPMO activity.
environmental quality in different parts of the MPA. However,
in line with the protection ranking, Zone A organisms had the
lowest MFO activities and were also among the most distant
from the only inferred source of contamination, Favignana
Harbor. Past studies have shown that even areas near small
harbors may be polluted by organic chemicals such as PAHs
(50–52).

Campanella et al. (11) measured metal concentrations in
biota (gastropod molluscs Monodonta turbinata and P. caerulea,
and brown alga Padina pavonica L.) and seawater from five
coastal sites off Favignana Island. Levels detected in putatively
clean areas generally fell in the range of the lowest values
reported in the literature, supporting the point of view that the
area is virtually unaffected by man-made pollution. On the
other hand, there is an overall trend of increasing metal content
in seawater samples from near the local harbor (metal
concentrations nearly double values measured in other sta-
tions). This seems in line with our hypothesis that the harbor is

Ambio Vol. 36, No. 4, June 2007 Ó Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences 2007 311
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