The main aim of this review was to assess the incidence of Pb, Hg and Cd in seafood from African countries on the Indian and the Red Sea coasts and the level of their monitoring and control, where the direct consumption of seafood without quality control are frequently due to the poverty in many African countries. Some seafood from African Indian and the Red Sea coasts such as mollusks and fishes have presented Cd, Pb and Hg concentrations higher than permitted limit by FAOUN/EU regulations, indicating a possible threat to public health. Thus, the operationalization of the heavy metals (HM) monitoring and control is strongly recommended since these countries have laboratories with minimal conditions for HM analysis.

Lead, Mercury and Cadmium in Fish and Shellfish from the Indian Ocean and Red Sea (African Countries): Public Health Challenges

The state of the marine environment

Trace elements and POPs in two commercial shark species from Djibouti: Implications for human exposure.

BACKGROUND Food is indispensable for human life and determines the health and wellbeing of the consumer. As food is the source of energy for humans, it also emerges as one of the most important sources of exposure to deleterious chemicals both natural and synthetic. The food exposed chemicals cause a number of detrimental health effects in humans, with endocrine disruption being of serious concern amongst these effects. Such chemicals disrupting the health of endocrine system are known as endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs). The food exposed EDCs need to be identified and classified to effectuate a cautious consumption of food by all and especially by vulnerable groups. AIM The aim of the present review was to discuss food as a source of exposure to common endocrine disruptors in humans. This review presents the occurrence and levels of some of the critical endocrine disruptors exposed through frequently consumed diets. METHODS The major source of data was PubMed, besides other relevant publications. The focus was laid on data from the last five years, however significant earlier data was also considered. CONCLUSION The food as a source of endocrine disruptors to humans cannot be neglected. It is highly imperative for the consumer to recognize food as a source of EDCs and make informed choices in the consumption of food items.

Diet: A Source of Endocrine Disruptors.

Within the Gulf of Aden, Djibouti is an important site where whale sharks (Rhincodon typus Smith 1828) aggregate seasonally; however, up to now, only few studies have been carried out in the area (Rowat et al. in Environ Biol Fishes, 2007. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10641-006-9148-7; Mar Freshw Res, 2011. https://doi.org/10.1071/MF10135; Rezzolla and Storai in Cybium 34:195–206, 2010). From 2015 to 2018, whale shark photo-id, skin biopsies, and zooplankton samples were collected to investigate the ecology of this species in Djibouti. Of the 190 photo-identified individuals, the majority were juvenile males, confirming a significant male-based aggregation (X2 = 65, df = 1, p < 0.0001). Within each season, the maximum number of times an individual was re-sighted was 11, while the inter-annual re-sighting rates varied between 11 and 32%. Animals were feeding on surface zooplankton, consisting primarily of copepods (85%); however, Chaetognatha and Ctenophora appeared to be important taxa as well, since the areas most visited were also those with higher concentration of these organisms. Feeding zooplankton patches had a mean biomass of 42.2 ± 31.9 mg m−3, almost 1.5 higher than control stations, indicating that the abundance of this species was positively related to food availability. Furthermore, whale sharks exhibited a clear temporal distribution associated with the variation in zooplankton biomass due to the monsoon winds. Sharks aggregated in October–February, with a peak in sightings in November, and dispersed outside the upwelling season. δ13C values suggested that whale sharks might migrate to other habitats or shift their activities to deeper areas outside the aggregation phase. Little intra-specific variation in δ15N and δ13C was found between animals, suggesting a similar habitat use.

The ecology of the whale shark in Djibouti

First results on zooplankton community composition and contamination by some persistent organic pollutants in the Gulf of Tadjoura (Djibouti).

Thermal performance assays were conducted on six common reef-building coral species from the northern and the southern Red Sea (2000 km apart). Most species displayed similar temperature optima (Topt), suggesting an exceptional continuity in their physiological performances across such a large latitudinal range.

/pdf/assessment-of-temperature-optimum-signatures-of-corals-at-1cxlwhzz.pdf

Assessment of temperature optimum signatures of corals at both latitudinal extremes of the Red Sea

Abstract We observed groupers with an unusual color pattern in Ghoubet-Al-Kharab Bay, Djibouti, on two occasions in 2014 and 2020. It matches the field observation of a juvenile Cephalopholis formosa in India in 1980. If this is the case, our observation represents a major range extension for C. formosa . Alternatively, based on the intermediate coloration of the specimens and sightings, we propose that they may be hybrids of C. formosa and C. oligosticta. We present two possible scenarios that may have facilitated hybridization: rarity and overlapping ranges in Djibouti with self-recruitment or rarity and overlapping ranges in another location (e.g., Socotra or the Arabian Sea) with long-distance larval dispersal to Djibouti. This hybridization is possible given the genetic similarity between the two putative parent species and because similar hybridization cases have been recorded within this genus and family elsewhere. However, both of these scenarios would require a range extension for one or both parent species as they are not previously known to overlap . Nevertheless, further field observations and genetic studies are required to verify the proposed identification of the putative hybrid and test the presented scenarios . 

/pdf/waif-or-hybrid-observation-records-of-rare-coloration-3sy9e6i9.pdf

Y. Moussa Omar

Papers

Trace elements and POPs in two commercial shark species from Djibouti: Implications for human exposure.

First results on zooplankton community composition and contamination by some persistent organic pollutants in the Gulf of Tadjoura (Djibouti).

Assessment of temperature optimum signatures of corals at both latitudinal extremes of the Red Sea

Waif or hybrid? Observation records of rare coloration grouper in Djibouti