Fish Biomarkers in the Ecological Assessment of the Shahagachi Coast (Caspian Sea)

This study assessed the ecological status of the Shahagachi coastal area (Azerbaijan, Caspian Sea) using fish as bioindicators. The study was conducted on 16 specimens of mullet (Liza saliens) and 15 specimens of kutum (Rutilus frisii kutum). A comprehensive approach was employed to evaluate the condition of the fish, including a genotoxic analysis based on nuclear aberrations in erythrocytes and a histopathological analysis of the gills. The genotoxic analysis revealed pathologies in fish erythrocytes such as nuclear deformation, invagination, and displacement, and in some cases, micronuclei. However, the level of detected pathological cells in the blood of mullet (1.65±0.06%) and kutum (2.12±0.18%) remained within the physiological reference range (