BIOACCUMULATION AND BIOMARKER RESPONSES CAUSED BY ORGANOCHLORINE PESTICIDES IN BOGUE BOOPS BOOPS (LINNEAUS, 1758) FROM THE BAY OF ORAN, ALGERIA

. In the present study we investigated the concentration of organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) in the gills and muscles as well as the levels of Thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances (TBARS), Catalase, GlutathioneS-Transferase (GST) and Acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity in the liver and muscles of the bogue Boops boops (Linneaus,1758) fish that were caught in the bay of Oran (Algeria). For the purpose of evaluating the toxicological risk in the abovementioned area. The concentrations of total Dichlorodiphényltrichloroéthane (∑DDT) was present at highly significant levels (P˃0.001) compared to other OCPs, thus displayed in the following descending order: ∑DDTs > Lindane > Heptachlor. These OCPs had largely bioaccumulated in the gills compared to muscles. The PCA projection reported significant positive correlations between the concentrations of Lindane, DichloroDiphenyldichloroEthylene (DDE), DDD, DDT, and Heptachlor in gills and muscles. Seasonal variations of (OCPs) showed the highest average concentrations in the muscle and gills of fish collected mainly in Winter and Autumn (p < 0.001). The lowest concentrations were noted during the Spring and Summer periods. Significant negative correlations existed between the CAT, TBARS, GST and Lindane, ∑DDTs, and Heptachlor. The AChE (in liver and muscles) showed significant negative correlations with total DDT, with Correlation coefficient values R = - 0.67, R = - 0.64, respectively (significant R > 0.5). This study underlines that the bay of Oran suffers from chemical defilement.