Larvae of Sand Smelts (Atherina hepsetus L.) as a Bioindicator of Pollution in the Black Sea Coastal Waters

The activity of antioxidant enzymes and electrophoretic protein spectra were studied in sand smelt larvae inhabiting from five Sevastopol bays with different degrees of anthropogenic impact. The activity of antioxidant enzymes and the heterogeneity of electrophoretic protein spectra proved to increase in the larvae from the most polluted waters. The possibility of using these parameters as biological markers for assessing the influence of pollution on the early stages of fish ontogeny and the marine environment are discussed.