Streaming Media
Presentation Abstract
Adult salmon accumulate most of their final body mass, and also most of their burdens of persistent organic pollutants (POPs), while feeding in marine habitats. Most Puget Sound Chinook salmon migrate to the ocean to feed and grow but a large fraction resides and feeds within the Salish Sea. These “residents” accumulate higher levels of POPs from the pelagic food web than do conspecifics feeding along the coast, exposing people and whales consuming resident fish to higher contaminant concentrations. We measured POPs in fish collected throughout Puget Sound marine basins in the fall and winter of 2016 and 2017 and found significant spatial variation in contaminant concentrations and patterns in resident Chinook salmon. POPs concentrations tended to be higher in fish collected from marine basins farther from oceanic waters, consistent with higher contaminant inputs in marine basins adjacent to more developed landscapes such as Everett, Seattle, and Tacoma. Contaminant patterns (i.e., relative abundance of contaminant classes) in salmon also varied spatially between salmon caught in outer (Strait of Juan de Fuca, San Juan Islands) and inner Puget Sound (Whidbey, Central and South basins). This variation is consistent with previous salmon tagging studies documenting limited movements by resident salmon from one area to another within Puget Sound. Our results revealed that POPs are high enough in some fish from inner Puget Sound to reduce their health, potentially reducing overall survival and recovery of the species, and affecting the abundance salmon available for fisheries and whales. These elevated contaminant burdens in resident fish compared to ocean migrants may also hinder the recovery of Southern Resident killer whales by exposing them to elevated POPs concentrations, to which human consumers would also be exposed.
Session Title
Salmon and Contaminants
Conference Track
SSE10: Contaminants
Conference Name
Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference (2022 : Online)
Document Type
Event
SSEC Identifier
SSE-traditionals-487
Start Date
26-4-2022 11:30 AM
End Date
26-4-2022 1:00 PM
Genre/Form
conference proceedings; presentations (communicative events)
Subjects – Topical (LCSH)
Chinook salmon--Washington (State)--Puget Sound; Organic water pollutants--Washington (State)--Puget Sound; Salmon--Health--Washington (State)--Puget Sound; Killer whales--Health--Washington (State)--Puget Sound
Geographic Coverage
Puget Sound (Wash.)
Rights
Copying of this document in whole or in part is allowable only for scholarly purposes. It is understood, however, that any copying or publication of this document for commercial purposes, or for financial gain, shall not be allowed without the author's written permission.
Type
Text
Language
English
Format
vnd.ms-powerpoint
Included in
Fresh Water Studies Commons, Marine Biology Commons, Natural Resources and Conservation Commons
Contaminant reveal spatial segregation of Chinook salmon that reside in Puget Sound: implications for salmon health and the people and whales that eat them
Adult salmon accumulate most of their final body mass, and also most of their burdens of persistent organic pollutants (POPs), while feeding in marine habitats. Most Puget Sound Chinook salmon migrate to the ocean to feed and grow but a large fraction resides and feeds within the Salish Sea. These “residents” accumulate higher levels of POPs from the pelagic food web than do conspecifics feeding along the coast, exposing people and whales consuming resident fish to higher contaminant concentrations. We measured POPs in fish collected throughout Puget Sound marine basins in the fall and winter of 2016 and 2017 and found significant spatial variation in contaminant concentrations and patterns in resident Chinook salmon. POPs concentrations tended to be higher in fish collected from marine basins farther from oceanic waters, consistent with higher contaminant inputs in marine basins adjacent to more developed landscapes such as Everett, Seattle, and Tacoma. Contaminant patterns (i.e., relative abundance of contaminant classes) in salmon also varied spatially between salmon caught in outer (Strait of Juan de Fuca, San Juan Islands) and inner Puget Sound (Whidbey, Central and South basins). This variation is consistent with previous salmon tagging studies documenting limited movements by resident salmon from one area to another within Puget Sound. Our results revealed that POPs are high enough in some fish from inner Puget Sound to reduce their health, potentially reducing overall survival and recovery of the species, and affecting the abundance salmon available for fisheries and whales. These elevated contaminant burdens in resident fish compared to ocean migrants may also hinder the recovery of Southern Resident killer whales by exposing them to elevated POPs concentrations, to which human consumers would also be exposed.
