Temporal trends of three major classes of toxic contaminants in two indicator fish species from Puget Sound, Washington
Presentation Abstract
In this presentation we update time trends for three classes of persistent environmental contaminants in Puget Sound, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), polybrominated diphenylether flame retardants (PBDEs), and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), in two indicator fish species, English sole (Parophrys vetulus) and Pacific herring (Clupea pallasii). English sole are a common and abundant flatfish that reflect sediment contaminant conditions; results for this species are summarized for ten index sites, ranging from highly urban habitats such as Elliott Bay and the Duwamish River, to less contaminated habitats in Hood Canal and northern Puget Sound, and monitored from 1998 through 2013. Pacific herring are a small-bodied, open-water (pelagic) planktivore that reflect contaminant conditions in the pelagic food web. Herring results are summarized for four distinct herring stocks in Southern (Squaxin), Central (Port Orchard/Madison), and Northern (Semiahmoo and Cherry Point) Puget Sound. Highlights of this monitoring include:
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a significant decline in flame retardants in all four stocks of herring, ranging from 3.5% to 8.2% annual decline, while PCB concentrations remained static in Southern and Central Puget Sound stocks and declined weakly in the two stocks from Northern Puget Sound (approximately 2% per year),
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increasing PCBs and PBDEs in English sole from several urbanized locations including Tacoma’s Thea Foss Waterway, Seattle’s Duwamish River, and Everett’s Port Gardner, and a decreasing trend of PAH exposure in English sole from Thea Foss Waterway, and
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correlation between cleanup efforts and decreasing contaminants in English sole at some locations.
Results presented here are being incorporated into Puget Sound’s “Toxics in Fish” Vital Sign and are being used to evaluate the effectiveness of restoration efforts and to track the recovery of Puget Sound. This presentation is linked to a poster at this conference exhibiting the full results of this long-term monitoring.
Session Title
Toxic Contaminants in Salish Sea Biota
Conference Track
Fate and Effects of Pollutants
Conference Name
Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference (2016 : Vancouver, B.C.)
Document Type
Event
Start Date
2016 12:00 AM
End Date
2016 12:00 AM
Location
2016SSEC
Type of Presentation
Oral
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)
Fishes--Effect of water pollution on--Washington (State)--Puget Sound; Marine ecosystem health-- Washington (State)--Puget Sound; Persistent pollutants--Environmental aspects--Washington (State)--Puget Sound
Geographic Coverage
Salish Sea (B.C. and Wash.); Puget Sound (Wash.)--Environmental conditions
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
Temporal trends of three major classes of toxic contaminants in two indicator fish species from Puget Sound, Washington
2016SSEC
In this presentation we update time trends for three classes of persistent environmental contaminants in Puget Sound, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), polybrominated diphenylether flame retardants (PBDEs), and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), in two indicator fish species, English sole (Parophrys vetulus) and Pacific herring (Clupea pallasii). English sole are a common and abundant flatfish that reflect sediment contaminant conditions; results for this species are summarized for ten index sites, ranging from highly urban habitats such as Elliott Bay and the Duwamish River, to less contaminated habitats in Hood Canal and northern Puget Sound, and monitored from 1998 through 2013. Pacific herring are a small-bodied, open-water (pelagic) planktivore that reflect contaminant conditions in the pelagic food web. Herring results are summarized for four distinct herring stocks in Southern (Squaxin), Central (Port Orchard/Madison), and Northern (Semiahmoo and Cherry Point) Puget Sound. Highlights of this monitoring include:
-
a significant decline in flame retardants in all four stocks of herring, ranging from 3.5% to 8.2% annual decline, while PCB concentrations remained static in Southern and Central Puget Sound stocks and declined weakly in the two stocks from Northern Puget Sound (approximately 2% per year),
-
increasing PCBs and PBDEs in English sole from several urbanized locations including Tacoma’s Thea Foss Waterway, Seattle’s Duwamish River, and Everett’s Port Gardner, and a decreasing trend of PAH exposure in English sole from Thea Foss Waterway, and
-
correlation between cleanup efforts and decreasing contaminants in English sole at some locations.
Results presented here are being incorporated into Puget Sound’s “Toxics in Fish” Vital Sign and are being used to evaluate the effectiveness of restoration efforts and to track the recovery of Puget Sound. This presentation is linked to a poster at this conference exhibiting the full results of this long-term monitoring.
Comments
This oral snapshot presentation is linked to a poster that provides greater detail