Preliminary Monitoring of Praziquantel in Water and Sediments at a Japanese Amberjack (Seriola quinqueradiata) Aquaculture Site

Abstract

Praziquantel (PZQ), an active compound against Platyhelminthes, is an essential anthelmintic for the aquaculture industry. However, there are few reports of the environmental risks of PZQ use in aquaculture. In this study, we monitored PZQ in water and sediment at an aquaculture site of Japanese amberjack, also called yellowtail (Seriola quinqueradiata). Although PZQ was detected in water during treatment and 3 days post-treatment, PZQ levels were below the detectable limit in water 60 m from the net pen during the treatment, and in all sediment samples. In this preliminary study, we could not detect residue of PZQ from sediments in the aquaculture site, and no evidence about environmental effect of PZQ administration was obtained.