is actively accumulated in the tissues of marine invertebrates and 

 copper levels of 8 to 80 ppm have been reported in oysters from 

 unpolluted areas. Copper concentrations from 120 to almost 400 ppm 

 have been reported in oysters from polluted waters. 



While copper in organic form does not appear to be excessively 

 toxic, inorganic ions of copper are toxic to a wide variety of verte- 

 brates and invertebrates. Toxicity of copper varies significantly 

 between various species of organisms and with different physical 

 and chemical properties of the water. Portman (1968), Lloyd (1965), 

 and Zeitoun et al (1969) have discussed the synergistic relationship 

 between copper toxicity and zinc, cadmium, mercury, and temperature 

 and the antagonistic effects between copper toxicity and calcium as 

 well as salinity. 



Zeitoun et at (1969) found cultures of dinoflagellates died when 

 exposed to copper concentrations of 0.05 ppm ionic copper as did 

 two species of blue-green algae. Diatoms and green algae showed 

 varying susceptibilities to copper ions ranging from 0.05 to 0.5 

 ppm. Miller (1946) found the bryozoan Bugula nentina could live, 

 but not grow, in copper concentrations of 0.2 to 0.3 ppm and that 

 their larval stages died at copper concentrations in excess of 0.3 

 ppm. Galtsoff (1932) found oysters were killed by 0.1 to 0.5 ppm 

 copper ions. Bernard et al (1961) found that cyprids of the barn- 

 acle Balanus amphitrite niveus could survive but not settle in 

 copper solutions of 0.5 to 10 ppm copper. North (1964), and Clen- 

 denning and North (1960) found only 0.1 ppm copper was sufficient 

 to cause reduction in photosynthetic rate of the kelp (Macroaystis 

 pyrifera) . 



Several species of fish and invertebrates were collected in Safe 

 Harbor and at the control stations off Boca Chica Island for analyses 

 of copper content. Collections of fish made simultaneously, in par- 

 ticular the goby (Lophogobius cyprinoides) , were specially prepared 

 for histological and histochemical analyses. The laboratory work 

 was performed by G.R. Gardner at the National Marine Water Quality 

 Laboratory in Rhode Island. Preliminary results showed that the 

 gobies had an abnormal liver condition with highly vacuolated hepa- 

 tic cells and unusual hepatic lesions. The rubeanic acid histo- 

 chemical process showed copper deposition in the livers of fish from 

 Safe Harbor; all but two of which had hepatic lesions. Two sets of 

 collections were made. In the first, lesions were restricted to fish 

 from Safe Harbor and all control fish were normal. In the second 

 collections, however, three animals from the control station had 

 lesions. During the period between the two sets of collections, the 

 U.S. Navy had dumped a considerable amount of solid waste in the 

 immediate vicinity of the control station. Some of the gobies may 

 have been adversely affected by living in the submerged waste. 

 Additional experiments are in progress to confirm the lesions are 

 copper induced (Gardner, personal communication). 



137 



