Biliary Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon Metabolite Equivalents Measured in Fish and Subtidal Invertebrates Following the Refugio Beach Oil Spill.

Monterey formation crude oil spilled from an onshore pipeline and entered the surf zone near Refugio State Beach, Santa Barbara County, CA, USA on 19 May 2015. Exposure to nearshore fish was evaluated by measuring biliary polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) metabolite concentrations in surfperch (Embiotocidae), collected near the release point, at a lesser oiled area, Gaviota State Beach, and near the Coal Oil Point oil seep, Campus Point, at both four days and approximately one year after the oil spill. Three to four weeks after the spill, fish, invertebrates, and kelp were collected near the same three sites for PAH analysis of edible tissues to support the fishery closure assessment.

Temporal trends in aluminum smelter-derived polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in outmigrant juvenile Chinook salmon from Kitimat, British Columbia, Canada.

Aluminum smelter-derived polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in outmigrant juvenile Chinook salmon were evaluated in Kitimat Arm, British Columbia, Canada from 2000 to 2004, and in 2015. Decades of continual smelter operations by Rio Tinto resulted in PAH contamination of marine sediments at levels associated with adverse effects in juvenile salmon. Recently, smelter operations have undergone process changes to reduce PAH input to the environment.

Pre-oil spill baseline profiling for contaminants in Southern Resident killer whale fecal samples indicates possible exposure to vessel exhaust.

The Southern Resident killer whale population (Orcinus orca) was listed as endangered in 2005 and shows little sign of recovery. Exposure to contaminants and risk of an oil spill are identified threats. Previous studies on contaminants have largely focused on legacy pollutants.

Coho salmon spawner mortality in western US urban watersheds: bioinfiltration prevents lethal storm water impacts.

Adult coho salmon return each autumn to freshwater spawning habitats throughout western North America. The migration coincides with increasing seasonal rainfall, which in turn increases storm water run-off, particularly in urban watersheds with extensive impervious land cover. Previous field assessments in urban stream networks have shown that adult coho are dying prematurely at high rates (>50%).

Modulation in Persistent Organic Pollutant Concentration and Profile by Prey Availability and Reproductive Status in Southern Resident Killer Whale Scat Samples.

Persistent organic pollutants (POPs), specifically PCBs, PBDEs, and DDTs, in the marine environment are well documented, however accumulation and mobilization patterns at the top of the food-web are poorly understood. This study broadens the understanding of POPs in the endangered Southern Resident killer whale population by addressing modulation by prey availability and reproductive status, along with endocrine disrupting effects. A total of 140 killer whale scat samples collected from 54 unique whales across a 4 year sampling period (2010-2013) were analyzed for concentrations of POPs.

Severe Coal Tar Sealcoat Runoff Toxicity to Fish Is Prevented by Bioretention Filtration.

Coal tar sealcoats applied to asphalt surfaces in North America, east of the Continental Divide, are enriched in petroleum-derived compounds, including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). The release of PAHs and other chemicals from sealcoat has the potential to contaminate nearby water bodies, reducing the resiliency of aquatic communities. Despite this, relatively little is known about the aquatic toxicology of sealcoat-derived contaminants.

Aluminum smelter-derived polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and flatfish health in the Kitimat marine ecosystem, British Columbia, Canada.

From 2000-2004 a monitoring study was conducted to evaluate the impacts of aluminum smelter-derived polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) on the health of fish in the marine waters of Kitimat, British Columbia, Canada. These waters are part of the historical fishing grounds of the Haisla First Nation, and since the 1950s the Alcan Primary Metal Company has operated an aluminum smelter at the head of the Kitimat Arm embayment. As a result, adjacent marine and estuarine sediments have been severely contaminated with a mixture of smelter-associated PAHs in the range of 10,000-100,000 ng/g dry wt.

Soil bioretention protects juvenile salmon and their prey from the toxic impacts of urban stormwater runoff.

Green stormwater infrastructure (GSI), or low impact development, encompasses a diverse and expanding portfolio of strategies to reduce the impacts of stormwater runoff on natural systems. Benchmarks for GSI success are usually framed in terms of hydrology and water chemistry, with reduced flow and loadings of toxic chemical contaminants as primary metrics. Despite the central goal of protecting aquatic species abundance and diversity, the effectiveness of GSI treatments in maintaining diverse assemblages of sensitive aquatic taxa has not been widely evaluated.

Zebrafish and clean water technology: assessing soil bioretention as a protective treatment for toxic urban runoff.

Urban stormwater contains a complex mixture of contaminants that can be acutely toxic to aquatic biota. Green stormwater infrastructure (GSI) is a set of evolving technologies intended to reduce impacts on natural systems by slowing and filtering runoff. The extent to which GSI methods work as intended is usually assessed in terms of water quantity (hydrology) and quality (chemistry).

Persistent organic pollutants in forage fish prey of rhinoceros auklets breeding in Puget Sound and the northern California Current.

Organochlorine contaminants in upper trophic-level consumers inhabiting Puget Sound are consistently higher than in those species inhabiting other west coast locations. We analyzed persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in the six most common fish prey of rhinoceros auklets breeding on Protection Island (Puget Sound), Tatoosh Island (WA coast), and Destruction Island (WA coast). Wet-weight concentrations of POPs ranged widely (PCBs: 1.

Geologically distinct crude oils cause a common cardiotoxicity syndrome in developing zebrafish.

Crude oils from different geological formations vary in composition, yet most crude oils contain a polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) fraction that would be expected to produce cardiotoxic effects in developing fish. To determine whether different crude oils or PAH compositions produce common or distinct effects, we used zebrafish embryos to directly compare two crude oils at different states of weathering. Iranian heavy crude oil (IHCO) spilled in the Yellow Sea following the 2007 Hebei Spirit accident was compared to the intensively studied Alaska North Slope crude oil (ANSCO) using two different exposure methods, water-accommodated fractions containing dispersed oil microdroplets and oiled gravel effluent.

Unexpectedly high mortality in Pacific herring embryos exposed to the 2007 Cosco Busan oil spill in San Francisco Bay.

In November 2007, the container ship Cosco Busan released 54,000 gallons of bunker fuel oil into San Francisco Bay. The accident oiled shoreline near spawning habitats for the largest population of Pacific herring on the west coast of the continental United States. We assessed the health and viability of herring embryos from oiled and unoiled locations that were either deposited by natural spawning or incubated in subtidal cages.

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and risk to threatened and endangered Chinook salmon in the Lower Columbia River estuary.

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), derived from oil and fuel combustion, are ubiquitous nonpoint source pollutants that can have a number of detrimental effects on fish and wildlife. In this study, we monitored PAH exposure in outmigrant juvenile Chinook salmon from the Lower Columbia River to evaluate the risk that these contaminants might pose to the health and recovery of threatened and endangered salmonids. Juvenile Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) were collected by beach seine from five sites in the Lower Columbia River from Bonneville Dam to the mouth of the estuary (Warrendale, the Willamette-Columbia Confluence, Columbia City, Beaver Army Terminal, and Point Adams) and from a site in the Lower Willamette near downtown Portland (Morrison Street Bridge).

Disease susceptibility of salmon exposed to polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs).

The health effects of the flame retardant polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) in fish are not well understood. To determine the potential effects of this ubiquitous contaminant class on fish health, juvenile subyearling Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) were fed a diet that reflected the PBDE congeners found in the stomach contents of subyearling Chinook salmon collected from the highly urbanized and industrialized lower Willamette River in the Columbia River Basin of North America. The diet, consisting of five PBDE congeners (BDE-47, BDE-99, BDE-100, BDE-153 and BDE-154), was fed to the salmon at 2% of their body weight in food per day for 40 days.

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers in outmigrant juvenile Chinook salmon from the lower Columbia River and Estuary and Puget Sound, Washington.

Previous studies have examined the presence, distribution, and concentrations of toxic contaminants in two major waterways in the Pacific Northwest: the lower Columbia River and Estuary (LCR&E) and Puget Sound, Washington. However, those studies have not reported on the levels of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) in juvenile Chinook salmon (Onchorynchus tshawytscha). Populations of Chinook salmon from the LCR&E and Puget Sound are declining, and some stocks are currently listed as "threatened" under the Endangered Species Act.

Improved flatfish health following remediation of a PAH-contaminated site in Eagle Harbor, Washington.

Eagle Harbor in Puget Sound, WA became a Superfund site in 1987 due to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) released chronically from a nearby creosoting facility. Early studies here (1983-1986) demonstrated up to an approximately 80% prevalence of toxicopathic liver lesions, including neoplasms, in resident English sole (Parophrys vetulus). These lesions in English sole are consistently associated with PAH exposure in multiple field studies, and one laboratory study.

Persistent organic pollutants in outmigrant juvenile chinook salmon from the Lower Columbia Estuary, USA.

Although chemical contaminants are recognized as a potential factor contributing to the salmon declines in the Pacific Northwest, United States, information on contaminant concentrations in threatened and endangered salmon from the Columbia Estuary is limited. In this study we monitored exposure to several persistent organic pollutants [polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethanes (DDTs) and other organochlorine pesticides] in outmigrant juvenile fall chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tschawytscha) in the Lower Columbia River, and evaluated the potential for adverse effects on salmon and the estuarine food web. Contaminants were measured in whole bodies and stomach contents of subyearling to yearling chinook collected in 2001 and 2002 from sites near the confluence of the Columbia and Willamette Rivers, Longview, and within the lower Estuary.

Disease Susceptibility of Hatchery Snake River Spring-Summer Chinook Salmon with Different Juvenile Migration Histories in the Columbia River.

Various methods have been developed to mitigate the effects of dams on juvenile Pacific salmon Oncorhynchus spp. migrating to the Pacific Ocean through the Columbia River basin. In this study, we examined the health of hatchery Snake River spring and summer Chinook salmon relative to two mitigating strategies: dam bypass and transportation (e.

Contaminant exposure in outmigrant juvenile salmon from Pacific Northwest estuaries of the United States.

To better understand the dynamics of contaminant uptake in outmigrant juvenile salmon in the Pacific Northwest, concentrations of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), DDTs, polycylic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and organochlorine pesticides were measured in tissues and prey of juvenile chinook and coho salmon from several estuaries and hatcheries in the US Pacific Northwest. PCBs, DDTs, and PAHs were found in tissues (whole bodies or bile) and stomach contents of chinook and coho salmon sampled from all estuaries, as well as in chinook salmon from hatcheries. Organochlorine pesticides were detected less frequently.

Concentration and dispersal of a Pseudo-nitzschia bloom in Penn Cove, Washington, USA.

A bloom of the pennate diatom Pseudo-nitzschia, several species of which are associated with the production of the potent excitotoxin domoic acid, was observed in a Puget Sound, Washington embayment in July and August of 1997. Penn Cove, which receives nutrients from the nearby Skagit River and abundant sunshine during summer months due to its location in the rain shadow of the Olympic Mountains, is the home of a commercial mussel farm which supplies shellfish to many coastal areas of the USA. Levels of domoic acid in mussels increased to 3 ppm on 6 and 10 July, corresponding to the observation of a brown algal bloom in Penn Cove.

Molecular epizootiology of genotoxic events in marine fish: linking contaminant exposure, DNA damage, and tissue-level alterations.

Molecular epizootiological studies are increasingly being used to investigate environmental effects of genotoxic contaminants. The assessment of damage to DNA and linking the damage to subsequent molecular, cellular, or tissue-level alterations is a central component of such studies. Our research has focused on the refinement of the 32P-postlabeling assay for measuring covalent DNA-xenobiotic adducts arising from exposure to polycyclic aromatic compounds, using DNA adducts as molecular dosimeters of genotoxic contaminant exposure in biomonitoring studies, and investigating the relationship of DNA adduct formation to toxicopathic liver disease, including neoplastic lesions.

Stability of cytochrome P4501A-associated enzyme activity in cryogenically stored teleost liver samples.

Induction of cytochrome P4501A (CYP1A), more specifically the associated enzyme activity aryl hydrocarbon hydroxylase (AHH), has been shown to be one of the most sensitive measures of exposure of vertebrate animals to a range of organic chemical contaminants. However, in order to reliably use this biochemical method for analyzing archived samples, the stability of the enzyme activity in storage must be ascertained. Stability of AHH activity was determined for both tissue sections and subcellular fractions of liver collected from English sole (Pleuronectes vetulus), and held in cryogenic storage for up to 24 months.