Uptake and depuration of PAHs in mussels following a diesel spill in Penn Cove, Washington
Presentation Abstract
Diesel spills are common in Northwest coastal waters but there is little information about the rate at which exposed shellfish might purge bioaccumulated hydrocarbons. The literature suggests a few weeks. We tested that hypothesis following a May 2012 discharge of diesel from a sunken fishing vessel located adjacent to a mussel farm in Penn Cove, Washington. Using an adaptive monitoring strategy, mussels were collected on four occasions following the spill and removal of the derelict vessel and analyzed for 43 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). PAHs were elevated 5 days into the spill but did not exceed seafood safety guidelines. The biological half-life of total PAH whole soft tissue concentrations was on the order of four to five months, a much longer depuration time than previously suspected. The reason for the slow depuration was not determined, but may due to slow exchange of cove water with clean water from Admiralty Inlet and Puget Sound, a process that supports local larval retention and stresses the need to prevent fuel spills in shellfish growing areas.
Session Title
Session S-10C: Spill Prevention, Preparedness, and Response Issues in the Salish Sea and Pacific Northwest
Conference Track
Emerging Contaminants and Emergencies
Conference Name
Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference (2014 : Seattle, Wash.)
Document Type
Event
Start Date
2-5-2014 1:30 PM
End Date
2-5-2014 3:00 PM
Location
Room 606
Genre/Form
conference proceedings; presentations (communicative events)
Contributing Repository
Digital content made available by University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University.
Subjects – Topical (LCSH)
Mussels--Effect of oil spills on--Washington (State)--Penn Cove; Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons--Biodegradation--Washington (State)--Penn Cove
Geographic Coverage
Penn Cove (Wash.); Salish Sea (B.C. and Wash.)
Rights
This resource is displayed for educational purposes only and may be subject to U.S. and international copyright laws. For more information about rights or obtaining copies of this resource, please contact University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University, Bellingham, WA 98225-9103, USA (360-650-7534; heritage.resources@wwu.edu) and refer to the collection name and identifier. Any materials cited must be attributed to the Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference Records, University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University.
Type
Text
Language
English
Format
application/pdf
Uptake and depuration of PAHs in mussels following a diesel spill in Penn Cove, Washington
Room 606
Diesel spills are common in Northwest coastal waters but there is little information about the rate at which exposed shellfish might purge bioaccumulated hydrocarbons. The literature suggests a few weeks. We tested that hypothesis following a May 2012 discharge of diesel from a sunken fishing vessel located adjacent to a mussel farm in Penn Cove, Washington. Using an adaptive monitoring strategy, mussels were collected on four occasions following the spill and removal of the derelict vessel and analyzed for 43 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). PAHs were elevated 5 days into the spill but did not exceed seafood safety guidelines. The biological half-life of total PAH whole soft tissue concentrations was on the order of four to five months, a much longer depuration time than previously suspected. The reason for the slow depuration was not determined, but may due to slow exchange of cove water with clean water from Admiralty Inlet and Puget Sound, a process that supports local larval retention and stresses the need to prevent fuel spills in shellfish growing areas.
