Bibliographic Citation
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| Title | Toxic elements and organochlorines in harbor seals (Phoca vitulina richardsi), Kodiak, Alaska, USA |
| Creator/Author | Miles, A.K. (Fish and Wildlife Service, Laurel, MD (United States)) ; Calkins, D.G. (Alaska Dept. of Fish and Game, Anchorage, AK (United States)) ; Coon, N.C. (Fish and Wildlife Service, Atlanta, GA (United States)) |
| Publication Date | 1992 May 01 |
| OSTI Identifier | OSTI ID: 6519628 |
| Other Number(s) | Journal ID: ISSN 0007-4861; CODEN: BECTA6 |
| Resource Type | Journal Article |
| Resource Relation | Journal Name: Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology; (United States); Journal Volume: 48:5 |
| Subject | 63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT.; 54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES; COASTAL WATERS; CONTAMINATION; METALS; BIOLOGICAL ACCUMULATION; PESTICIDES; POLYCHLORINATED BIPHENYLS; SEALS; MORTALITY; ALASKA; NORTHERN HEMISPHERE; TOXICITY; AROMATICS; CHLORINATED AROMATIC HYDROCARBONS; DEVELOPED COUNTRIES; EARTH PLANET; ELEMENTS; HALOGENATED AROMATIC HYDROCARBONS; NORTH AMERICA; ORGANIC CHLORINE COMPOUNDS; ORGANIC COMPOUNDS; ORGANIC HALOGEN COMPOUNDS; PLANETS; SURFACE WATERS; USA |
| Description/Abstract | Marine and estuarine habitats near urban or industrialized regions are vulnerable to contaminated runoff. Harbor seals (Phoca vitulina richardsi), which occur throughout much of the northern hemisphere, are useful mammalian biomonitors because they feed, reproduce, and rest near or on shore and are high-level trophic consumers. They have often been monitored for contaminants in Europe. To date, no studies have been reported on contaminants in harbor seals from industrialized areas of Alaska. In the vicinity of Anchorage, Alaska's largest urban and industrial city, harbor seals are sedentary and limited to coastal waters; some movements have been documents but there is no evidence of extensive migrations. Although some harbor seals in the Kodiak Archipelago move up to 100 km along the shore, strong fidelity to specific haulout sites is more common. These seals eat mainly non-migratory fishes and octopi. Harbor seal numbers have declined substantially from unknown causes in the southern part of the Kodiak Archipelago. The Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF G) suggested that the decline is a trend for the entire Kodiak region and other Alaskan waters. Contaminants have been suggested as a possible reason for the precipitous decline of Steller sea lions (Eumetopias jubatus) in the region, and were suspected in the decline of harbor seals. In this study, harbor seals were sampled from throughout the Kodiak Archipelago to determine concentrations of certain metals, metalloids, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and organochlorine pesticides, and to determine if these concentrations varied by sex or accumulated with age. All seals were collected within 75 km of Cook Inlet, an estuary next to Anchorage. The targeted elements or compounds were known to be toxic to a wide spectrum of organisms. 19 refs., 1 tab. |
| Country of Publication | United States |
| Language | English |
| Format | Medium: X; Size: Pages: 727-732 |
| System Entry Date | 2008 Feb 08 |
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Last Updated: 11/19/2009