Methylmercury effect on migration propensity and
metabolism in European glass eels (Anguilla anguilla)
from South Bay of Biscay, France

Amaia Lamarins, Hengtong Liu, Jacques Rives, Pascale Coste-Heinrich,
Mathilde Monperrus, Iban Seiliez, Valérie Bolliet

► To cite this version:

Amaia Lamarins, Hengtong Liu, Jacques Rives, Pascale Coste-Heinrich, Mathilde Monperrus, et al. Methylmercury effect on migration propensity and metabolism in European glass eels (Anguilla anguilla) from South Bay of Biscay, France. ISOBAY 16. 16.International Symposium on Oceanography of the Bay of Biscay, Jun 2018, Anglet, France. 167 p., 2018, Book of Abstracts. Isobay 16. hal-02737471

HAL Id: hal-02737471

https://hal.inrae.fr/hal-02737471

Submitted on 2 Jun 2020

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Distributed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
ISOBAY XVI

XVI International

**Symposium on Oceanography of
the Bay of Biscay**

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June 5-7th 2018, Anglet, France

https://isobay16-anglet.sciencesconf.org/

MIDA
MILIEUX & RÉSOURCES AQUATIQUES

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Ifremer

UNIVERSITÉ
DE PAU ET DES
PAYS DE L'AUDOUR

<figure><img src="image_4.png" /></figure>

Communauté
D'AGGLOMERATION
PAYS BASQUE

EUSKAL
HIRIGUNE
Elkargoa

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# Methylmercury effect on migration propensity and metabolism in European glass eels (*Anguilla anguilla*) from South Bay of Biscay, France

**Presentation:** Poster

**Speaker:** Lamarins Amaïa

Lamarins Amaïa¹, Liu Hengtong¹, Rives Jacques¹, Coste Pascale¹, Monperrus Mathilde², Seiliez Iban³, Bolliet Valérie¹

1. UMR Ecologie Comportementale et Biologie des Populations de Poisson (France)

2. CNRS / Univ Pau & Pays Adour, Institut des Sciences Analytiques et de Physico-Chimie pour L'Environnement et les Matériaux - MIRA, UMR5254, 64600, Anglet (France)

3. UMR Nutrition Métabolisme Aquaculture (France)

**Contact:** valerie.bolliet@univ-pau.fr

## Abstract

Glass eels migrate up estuaries to join rivers for a long period of growth. However, several studies have suggested that some glass eels may not reach rivers but rather complete their life cycle in coastal or estuarine waters. This might affect the sex ratio and population dynamics of this threatened species because individuals remaining downstream mostly develop in males, whereas those colonizing upstream mainly develop in females. Since most glass eels fast during their estuary migration, their propensity to migrate could be, at least in part, linked to their energy stores and metabolism. In addition, autophagy (a process of cellular self-eating) plays a major role in mobilizing diverse cellular energy and nutrients stores during starvation. To migrate up estuaries, glass eels use selective tidal transport, swimming during the flood and possibly hiding in the substratum during ebb tide. During migration, they might be exposed to several anthropic pressures such as pollution. This study aims to investigate the effect of methylmercury (MeHg) on glass eels' migration propensity, in relation to their energetic metabolism and autophagic activity. For this purpose, glass eels caught in Moliets were individually tagged using visible implant elastomer and exposed to two MeHg concentrations (100 ng.L⁻¹ and 1000 ng.L⁻¹) during 7 days. Then, swimming activity and tactics (synchronization with or against the water current) of each glass eel were assessed in experimental installations that mimic tides using water current reversal. Relationships between body MeHg concentrations, swimming activity, different genes expression and proteins activity involved in metabolism, autophagy, and oxidative stress were investigated.

**Key words:** glass eels, estuarine migration, methylmercury, metabolism, autophagy