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. 2024 Oct:207:116917.
doi: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2024.116917. Epub 2024 Sep 5.

Impact of tourism on metal concentrations in Phorcus sauciatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic period in Canary Islands (CE Atlantic, Spain)

Enrique Lozano-Bilbao  1 , Arturo Hardisson  2 , Dailos González-Weller  3 , Soraya Paz  2 , Ángel J Gutiérrez  2
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Impact of tourism on metal concentrations in Phorcus sauciatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic period in Canary Islands (CE Atlantic, Spain)

Enrique Lozano-Bilbao et al. Mar Pollut Bull. 2024 Oct.

Abstract

The pandemic (COVID-19) had diverse effects on marine pollution. Throughout the lockdown periods, temporary enhancements in water quality and biodiversity were observed due to reduced human activity and constraints on travel and maritime transportation. The marine snail, Phorcus sauciatus, served as an indicator for marine pollution, and samples were collected in Tenerife, Canary Islands, during various months in 2020. The findings indicated that metal concentrations in Phorcus sauciatus were higher in February but declined in July and December as a result of reduced tourist activity during the pandemic. This underscores the significance of promoting sustainable tourism in the Canary Islands to mitigate high metal concentrations in the marine environment. The COVID-19 pandemic had a positive impact on reducing metal concentrations in marine pollution, underscoring the importance of adopting sustainable tourism practices to protect marine ecosystems.

Keywords: COVID-19; Intertidal; Metal; Trace element.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of competing interest All authors declare that the use of animals for this research complies with the requirements of European legislation on the use of animals for experimentation. All anemone samples have been taken with fishing permits and permission from the Spanish ministry. Samples were obtained from broodstock captured, so these organisms were not slaughtered by the authors of this manuscript, therefore we faithfully comply with the Code of Practice for Housing and Care of Animals Used in Scientific Procedures.

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