The monitoring of marine ecosystems of the Milazzo gulf and the Marinello nature reserve in Sicily: the potential role of Coris julis as pesticides bioindicator

In aquatic environments, the impact generated by the accumulation and persistence of chemical pesticides represents a growing threat for both animals and humans. The monitoring of key-fish species, which are considered environmental biomarkers, represents a valuable approach to perform ecotoxicological studies of marine ecosystems. This study aimed to evaluate the presence of pesticides in marine areas of the Milazzo gulf and the Marinello nature reserve in the northwest region of Sicily (province of Messina, South Italy). The main object focused on the evaluation of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) enzymatic activities as biomarkers in the key-fish species Coris julis. For this research, 180 fish were from each marine sites collected. The results obtained demonstrate the presence of insecticides in marine waters of the Milazzo gulf and the Marinello nature reserve. These compounds threaten animal health and, above all humans, as in the nearby areas are activities as bathing and fishing throughout the year developed. This study highlights the importance of the biomarker-based approaches, whether applied to key-fish species, to monitor and determine the ecotoxicological alterations and the consequent ecological impacts in aquatic ecosystems.