Abstract
A study was conducted to assess the potential for uptake of toxic chemicals by down-stream migrant salmon in an urban estuary. Juvenile chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) were collected from the Duwamish Waterway (located in Seattle, Washington) and from the Nisqually River (a reference site). The mean concentrations of aromatic hydrocarbons and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in the stomach contents (food organisms) of salmon from the Duwamish Waterway were approximately 650 times and 4 times, respectively, higher than those in salmon from the Nisqually River. Similarly, the mean concentration of bile metabolites of aromatic compounds which fluoresce at benzo[a]pyrene wavelengths was 24 times higher in the urban salmon compared to the reference salmon, whereas the mean concentration of PCBs in liver of urban salmon was 3 times higher than that in reference salmon. The study clearly demonstrated that, during their residency in this urban estuary, juvenile chinook salmon bioaccumulate substantial levels of toxic chemicals. The possible effects of these chemical exposures on the health and survival of this species are not presently known.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Brown DW, Chan S-L, Friedman AJ, Grams KL, Burrows DG, MacLeod WD Jr. (1985) Bioaccumulation study: Organic compounds in sediment and biota from Grays Harbor and reference area. Final Report to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Seattle, WA, 83 pp
Broyles RH, Noveck MI (1979) Uptake and distribution of 2,4,5,2′,4′,5′-hexachlorobiphenyl in fry of lake trout and chinook salmon and its effects on vitality. Toxicol Applied Pharmacol 50:299–308
Dexter RN, Goldstein LS, Chapman PM, Quinlan EA (1985) Temporal trends in selected environmental parameters monitored in Puget Sound. NOAA Tech Memo NOS OMA 19, 166 pp
Gruger EH, Jr, Hornby T, Karrick NL (1976) Sublethal effects of structurally related tetrachloro-, pentachloro-, and hexachlorobiphenyl on juvenile coho salmon. Environ Sci Technol 10:1033–1037
Hamilton SE, Bates TS, Cline JD (1984) Sources and transport of hydrocarbons in the Green-Duwamish River, Washington. Environ Sci Technol 18:72–79
Healy MC (1982) Juvenile Pacific salmon in estuaries: The life support system. In: Kennedy VS (ed) Estuarine comparisons. Academic Press, NY, p 315
Krahn MM, Myers MS, Burrows DG, Malins DC (1984) Determination of metabolites of xenobiotics in bile of fish from polluted waterways. Xenobiotica 14:633–646
Krahn MM, Rhodes LD, Myers MS, Moore LK, MacLeod WD Jr, Malins DC (1986a) Associations between metabolites of aromatic compounds in bile and the occurrence of hepatic lesions in English sole (Parophrys vetulus) from Puget Sound, Washington. Arch Environ Contam Toxicol 15:61–67
Krahn MM, Moore LK, MacLeod WD Jr (1986b) Standard Analytical Procedures of the NOAA National Analytical Facility, 1986: Metabolites of aromatic compounds in fish bile. NOAA Tech memo NMFS F/NWC-102,25 pp
Krahn MM, Burrows DG, MacLeod WD Jr, Malins DC (1987) Determination of individual metabolites of aromatic compounds in hydrolyzed bile of English sole (Parophrys vetulus) from polluted sites in Puget Sound, Washington. Arch Environ Contam Toxicol 16:511–522
Lee CO, Strand JA, Nevissi AE (1988) Modes of toluene uptake in adult chinook salmon. In: Proceedings of the First Annual Meeting on Puget Sound Research. Puget Sound Water Quality Authority, Seattle, WA
Mac MJ, Nicholson LW, McCauley CA (1979) PCBs and DDE in commercial fish feeds. Prog Fish-Culturist 41:210–211
MacLeod WD Jr, Brown DW, Friedman AJ, Burrows DG, Maynes O., Pearce R, Wigren CA, Bogar RG (1985) Standard analytical procedures of the NOAA National Analytical Facility, 1985-6: Extractable Toxic Organic Compounds, Second Edition NOAA Tech Memo NMFS F/NWC-92, 121 p
Malins DC, McCain BB, Brown DW, Sparks AK, Hodgins HO, Chan S-L (1982) Chemical contaminants and abnormalities in fish and invertebrates from Puget Sound. NOAA Tech Memo OMPA-19, 168 pp
Malins DC, McCain BB, Brown DW, Chan S-L, Myers MS, Landahl JT, Prohaska PG, Friedman AJ, Rhodes LD, Burrows DG, Gronlund WD, Hodgins HO (1984) Chemical pollutants in sediments and diseases in bottom-dwelling fish in Puget Sound, Washington. Environ Sci Technol 18:705–713
Malins DC, Chan S-L, MacLeod WD Jr, McCain BB, Clark RC Jr, Brown DW, Myers MS, Krahn MM (1986) Results of the 1984–85 National Benthic Surveillance Project: West Coast Oceans '86 Conference Record; The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Piscataway, NJ, pp 566–671
McCain BB, Myers MS, Varanasi U, Brown DW, Rhodes LD, Gronlund WD, Elliott DG, Palsson WA, Hodgins HO, and Malins DC (1982) Pathology of two species of flatfish from urban estuaries in Puget Sound. DOC (EPA) Interagency Energy/Environment, Research and Development Program Report, EPA-600/7-82-001, 100 pp
McCain BB, Brown DW, Krahn MM, Myers MS, Clark RC Jr, Chan S-L, Malins DC (1988) Marine pollution problems, North American West Coast. Aquatic Toxicology 11:143–162
Meyer JH, Pearce TA, Patlan SB (1981) Distribution and food habits of juvenile salmonids in the Duwamish Estuary, Washington, 1980. Report to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Seattle, WA, 42 pp
Rhodes LD, Myers MS, Gronlund WD, McCain BB (1987) Epizootic characteristics of hepatic and renal lesions in English sole (Parophrys vetulus) from Puget Sound. J Fish Biol 31:395–407
Roubal WT, Collier TK, Malins DC (1977) Accumulation and metabolism of carbon-14 labeled benzene, naphthalene, and anthracene by young coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch). Arch Environ Contam Toxicol 5:513–529
Simenstad CA, Fresh KL, Salo EO (1982) The role of Puget Sound and Washington coastal estuaries in the life history of Pacific salmon: An unappreciated function. In: Kennedy VS (ed) Estuarine comparisons. Academic Press, NY, p 343
Thom RM (1987) The biological significance of Pacific Northwest Estuaries. Northwest Environ J 3:21–42
Varanasi U, Gmur DG (1981) Hydrocarbons and metabolites in English sole (Parophrys vetulus) exposed simultaneously to [3H]benzo[a]pyrene and [14C]naphthalene in oil-contaminated sediment. Aquat Toxicol 1:49–67
Weitkamp DE, Campbell RF (1980) Port of Seattle Terminal 107 fisheries study. Report to the Port of Seattle prepared by Parametrix, Inc, Belleuve, WA, 53 pp
Wellings SR, Alpers CE, McCain BB and Miller BS (1976) Fin erosion disease of starry flounder (Platichthys stellatus) and English sole (Parophrys vetulus) in the estuary of the Duwamish River, Seattle, Washington. J Fish Res Board Can 33:2577–2586
Williams RC, Laramie RW, Ames JJ (1975) A catalog of Washington streams and salmon utilization. Volume I, Puget Sound Region. Wash Dept Fish, Olympia, WA
Zar JH (1974) Biostatistical analysis. Prentice-Hall, Englewood Cliffs, NJ, 620 pp
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
McCain, B.B., Malins, D.C., Krahn, M.M. et al. Uptake of aromatic and chlorinated hydrocarbons by juvenile chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) in an urban estuary. Arch. Environ. Contam. Toxicol. 19, 10–16 (1990). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01059807
Received:
Revised:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01059807