Trace metals are present in all aquatic systems, originating both from
natural and anthropogenic sources. With concerns over the environmental
impacts of metals, particularly in semi-enclosed aquatic systems such as the
Port Phillip Bay, Victoria, Australia, it is important to be able to monitor the
degree of pollutant exposure to local organisms. Little Penguins (Eudyptula
minor) nesting at St Kilda, only 3 km from the centre of the 3.3 million people
metropolis of Melbourne, are a potentially useful bioindicator species for
toxicant exposure within Port Phillip Bay because they are resident and feed
exclusively within the bay all year around. This study investigated metal and
metalloid concentrations in Little Penguins at St Kilda and two other locations
with different levels of anthropogenic impact: the penguin parade at Phillip
Island and the remote off-shore Notch Island.