CONCENTRATION OF PETROLEUM HYDROCARBONS IN FISH,MUSSELS AND SEDIMENT SAMPLES FROM THE RED SEA - COAST OF YEMEN

CONCENTRATION OF PETROLEUM HYDROCARBONS

IN FISH,MUSSELS AND SEDIMENT SAMPLES FROM

THE RED SEA – COAST OF YEMEN

By
HASSAA..N, M. A. HEBA*, & ALIA, Z. DOUABIJL
*Universify 0.[Sana’a .- Faculty 0.[Science. Department 0.[Oceanography
P.O.Box 11826 Sana’a- Yemen
Key Words: Oil pollution. Fish, Molluscs, Sediments, Red Sea.
ABSTRACT
This investigation involves the utilization ofspectrofluorometric
ana~vsis to estimate petroleum residues infish andfishfoodfrom the
Red Sea Coast of Yemen. The result, confirmed that all the site are
contaminated to some extent with petroleum hydrocarbons. The
concentration of petroleum hydrocarbons in the muscles samples
ranged from 15.7 ug’g at station RS-I to 63. 9ug’g.at station RS-n~
whereas sediment samples ranged from I.2ugl g at station RS-I to
6.94ug’
g at station RS-VI dry weight, expressed as kuwait crude oil
equivalent. In order to characterize the extracted hydrocarbons some
ofthe extracts were analyzed by capillary gas chromatography.
The chromatograms showed that muscles and sediment extracts
contained degraded hydrocarbons in addition to biogenic
hydrocarbon components. It was concluded that the Red Sea fishes
are subjected to the same point-source pollution ofoil contamination
as the life sentinel muscles. This pollution is a consequence of
localized oil operations and or heavy ship trcif.fic.