Effect of 14 Days Exposure to Crude Oil and Recovery Period on Blood Biochemical Parameters in Juveniles Asian Sea Bass (Lates calcarifer)

Oil pollutants are most important challenges in the development of marine aquaculture in Persian Gulf and Oman Sea. The aim of this study is investigate the effects of crude oil on some blood biochemical parameters in Asian seabass (Lates calcarifer) fingerlings. In the first stage of experiment, the fishes exposed to five experimental treatment for 14 days, including control, dispersed chemical as a positive control, water-soluble fraction of oil, mechanically and chemically dispersed crude oil with three repetitions. In the second phase of the experiment, to assess the ability of fish for physiological recovery, fish were transferred to a clean water for 14 days. Blood biochemical changes alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST), glucose, triglycerides and total protein in blood plasma were measured. The results showed there wasn’t any significant difference in ALT activity and levels of total protein in all sampling time, AST activities in the blood plasma has significant increase in all crude oil treatments, after 7 and 14 days. This increased in mechanically dispersed oil treatment also continued to recovery phase. Blood glucose levels were decreased after one week exposed to crude oil treatments. After 14 days, the concentration of glucose in mechanically chemically dispersed crude oil treatments showed a significant reduction compared to control group. Levels of triglyceride in the all exposed treatments show significant decrease than controls groups. In conclusion, the results of this study showed that crude oil was able to alter some of the biochemical factors in fingerlings of Asian sea bass, and these effects are observed until 14 days after the end of exposed fish to crude oil.