Using blood plasma for monitoring organochlorine contaminants in juvenile white sturgeon, Acipenser transmontanus, from the lower Columbia River.

Organochlorine (OC) pesticide concentrations in blood plasma samples from 88 juvenile white sturgeon collected from the lower Columbia River were measured and compared to plasma sex steroid and OC tissue levels previously measured in corresponding fish. Significant squared correlation coefficients between summation operator DDT concentrations in sturgeon plasma and gonads and livers were 0.37 and 0.32, respectively. Significant negative correlations between plasma testosterone concentration and plasma Sigma DDT concentration in male fish (r(2)=0.26), plasma 17beta estradiol concentration and plasma Sigma DDT concentration in female fish (r(2)=0.38) and condition factor and plasma Sigma DDT concentration in all fish were found (r(2)=0.17). These results suggest that blood plasma may be a suitable nondestructive method for monitoring adult sturgeon population for persistent OC contaminants.

Mercury concentrations in gonad, liver, and muscle of white sturgeon Acipenser transmontanus in the lower Columbia River.

This study determined the partitioning of total mercury in liver, gonad, and cheek muscle of white sturgeon (Acipenser transmonatus) in the lower Columbia River. The relationship between tissue mercury concentrations and various physiologic parameters was assessed. White sturgeon were captured in commercial fisheries in the estuary and Bonneville, The Dalles, and John Day Reservoirs. Condition factor (CF), relative weight (Wr), and gonadosomatic index (GSI) were determined for each fish (n = 57). Gonadal tissue was examined histologically to determine sex and stage of maturity. Liver (n = 49), gonad (n = 49), and cheek muscle (n = 57) were analyzed for total mercury using cold-vapor atomic fluorescence spectrophotometry. Tissue protein concentrations were measured by ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy. Plasma was analyzed for testosterone (T), 11-ketotestosterone (KT), and 17ss-estradiol (E2) using radioimmunoassay. Mean tissue mercury concentrations were higher in muscle compared with liver and gonad at all sampling locations, except Bonneville Reservoir where mean liver mercury content was the highest tissue concentration observed in the study. Significant negative correlations between plasma androgens (T and KT) and muscle mercury content and plasma E2 and liver mercury content were found. A significant positive linear relationship between white sturgeon age and liver mercury concentrations was evident. Significant negative correlations between CF and relative weight and gonad and liver mercury content were found. In addition, immature male sturgeon with increased gonad mercury content had decreased GSIs. These results suggest that mercury, in the form of methylmercury, may have an effect on the reproductive potential of white sturgeon.

Subacute toxicity of the water-soluble fractions of Kuwait crude oil and partially combusted crude oil on Menidia beryllina and Palaemonetes pugio.

As a consequence of the 1991 Gulf War, a substantial amount of crude oil (CO) and partially combusted crude oil (PCO) were emitted into the environment. Therefore, the study objective was to evaluate the toxicity of the water soluble fraction (WSF) of CO and PCO on a fish, Menidia beryllina, and an invertebrate, Palaemonetes pugio, in 16-d flow-through tests. Specific growth rate (SGR) was studied as a function of total petroleum hydrocarbon (TPHC) concentration in water. Reductions in SGR were observed in fish exposed to PCO and CO WSFs, with TPHC water concentration being 10-fold higher in CO exposures (67-145 microg/L) than in PCO exposures (4-12 microg/L). Significant negative correlations were observed between TPHC concentration and fish SGR in both CO (r2=0.730) and PCO (r2=0.867) exposures, with the slope being significantly lower for PCO exposures (-0.169) than CO exposures (-0.009). Differences between CO and PCO toxicity were not as clear in shrimp exposures due to slow growth rates and variability in TPHC concentrations. Qualitative PAH analysis indicated that naphthalene was present in the CO WSF whereas chrysene and benzo(a)pyrene were present in the PCO WSF. Heavy metal analysis of concentrated stock solutions indicated that the PCO WSF had substantially higher concentrations of some metals (Sr=2,521 microg/L, B=556 microg/L, and Ba=130 microg/L) than the CO WSF in which concentrations were less than 55 microg/L. Fish and shrimp tissue analysis did not reveal any uptake of parent PAH compounds from the water, which may be attributed to the formation of PAH metabolites.