Persistent organic pollutants in South African coastal ecosystems: Analysing the evileye blaasop Amblyrhynchote honckenii (Bloch, 1785) for PCB and OCP accumulation

South Africa’s coastal regions are increasingly affected by pollutants from industrial and agricultural runoff, sewage discharge, stormwater drainage, and effluents from informal settlements. Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) have significant ecological impacts among these stressors. The study focused on assessing two global priority contaminants, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and organochlorine pesticides (OCPs), in muscle and liver tissue of the evileye blaasop, Amblyrhynchote honckenii (Bloch, 1785) , a common pufferfish along the South African coast. Six sites inside, near and outside marine protected areas (MPAs) were assessed. Liver samples from non-MPA sites exhibited higher levels of POPs compared to MPA or near-MPA sites. Nine OCPs were detected in fish liver tissue at each site, with oxy-chlordane particularly prevalent in Witsand, Mossel Bay, and Chintsa East. Among PCBs, 16 congeners were identified in fish liver tissue, with the most detected exclusively at St Francis Bay. Sodwana Bay was the only site where no PCBs were detected. Furthermore, hexachlorobiphenyl (PCB 153) was detected at all other sites, with fish from St Francis Bay exhibiting the highest concentrations of all 16 congeners. This study highlighted the persistent nature of PCBs and OCPs in South African coastal ecosystems. The differences in contamination levels at the sites highlight the need for targeted environmental management strategies to mitigate the impact of industrial, agricultural, and urban activities, thereby safeguarding the long-term sustainability of these vital coastal ecosystems. • Pufferfish livers revealed widespread POP contamination across all coastal sites. • Oxychlordane and p,p′-DDE were key OCPs with strong site-specific variations. • St Francis Bay fish showed the highest PCB contamination, especially PCB #153. • No PCBs were detected in fish at the MPA site, Sodwana Bay, indicating reduced impact. • Amblyrhynchote honckenii proved a good sentinel for coastal POP monitoring.