The Prince William Sound herring fishery following the Exxon Valdez oil spill of 1989
- Occidental College, Los Angeles, CA (United States). Dept. of Biology
- Alaska Dept. of Fish and Game, Cordova, AK (United States)
- Univ. of California, Davis, CA (United States). School of Veterinary Science
- Triton Environmental Consultants, Richmond, British Columbia (Canada)
- Univ. of Alaska, Fairbanks, AK (United States). School of Fisheries and Ocean Science
- National Marine Fisheries Service, Juneau, AK (United States)
The Exxon Valdez oil (EVO) spill of 1989 occurred a few weeks before herring spawned in Prince William Sound (PWS), AK. An estimated 40% to 50% of the egg biomass sustained exposure during early development, and the majority of pelagic larvae were collected within the oil trajectory path. Sublethal effects observed at hatch (morphologic defects and genetic damage) were related to ambient EVO concentrations. Reduced survival rates, decreased growth, genetic damage and histopathological changes were measured in pelagic larvae from oiled areas. However, because the 1989 year class is one of the smallest cohorts now in PWS, population effects are difficult to assess. From 1990 to 1992, population abundance and reproductive potential remained high. When the 1989 year class was fully recruited (1993--1994), the spawning population decreased by 50% to 75% of the expected abundance. Many of the surviving fish were infected with viral hemorrhagic septicemia (VHS) and failed to spawn. Proposed causes for the VHS epizootic include previous oil exposure, density-dependent effects following the 1989 fishery closure, and reduced food availability from 1990 to 1994.
- OSTI ID:
- 242340
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-9511137-; ISBN 1-880611-03-1; TRN: 96:013677
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: 2. Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC) world conference, Vancouver (Canada), 5-9 Nov 1995; Other Information: PBD: 1995; Related Information: Is Part Of Second SETAC world congress (16. annual meeting): Abstract book. Global environmental protection: Science, politics, and common sense; PB: 378 p.
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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