An assessment of oil-spill effects on pink salmon populations following the Exxon Valdez oil spill. Part 2: Adults and escapement
- Exxon Co. U.S.A., Houston, TX (United States)
- Univ. of Idaho, Moscow, ID (United States)
- Genesis Technical Services, Pacific Beach, WA (United States)
- MJM Research, Bainbridge Island, WA (United States)
- Univ. of Washington, Seattle, WA (United States)
This paper presents results of a field program designed to monitor the status of wildstock pink salmon populations in Prince William Sound following the Exxon Valdez oil spill. Field counts of spawning salmon were conducted each year from 1989 through 1992 to test for spill effects o the distribution nd abundance of pink salmon adults spawning in selected streams in the southwestern portion of Prince William Sound, including streams from the most heavily oiled areas. Counts of whole-stream and intertidal escapement density were statistically compared for 40 study streams in 1989 and for a subset of those streams in successive years. Measurements of residual hydrocarbons were made from stream-bed sediments to test for correlations with spawning behavior. Adult pink salmon in the postspill years of 1990 and 1991, progeny of the year classes considered most vulnerable to the oil spill, returned in high numbers, with the wildstock spawners exceeding their parent year returns. In 1989, adult returns reflected the relatively weak run for that year with a mean spawner density of 0.68 fish/m{sup 2} in reference streams and 0.69 fish/m{sup 2} in oiled streams. In 1990, mean escapement density for reference streams was 1.40 fish/m{sup 2} and 1.55 fish/m{sup 2} for oiled streams, indicating the strongest run of the four study years. Trends in polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) concentrations for the majority of oiled streams show a general decline from 1989 to background levels by 1990. 45 refs., 14 figs., 5 tabs.
- OSTI ID:
- 382768
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-930442-; ISBN 0-8031-1896-1; TRN: 96:025727
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: 3. symposium on environmental toxicology and risk assessment, Atlanta, GA (United States), 25-28 Apr 1993; Other Information: PBD: 1995; Related Information: Is Part Of Exxon Valdez oil spill: Fate and effects in Alaskan waters; Wells, P.G.; Butler, J.N.; Hughes, J.S. [eds.]; PB: 961 p.; ASTM special technical publication, 1219
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
An assessment of oil spill effects on pink salmon populations following the Exxon Valdez oil spill. Part 1: Early life history
Run reconstruction and life-history model. Fish/shellfish study number 28. Exxon Valdez oil spill state/federal natural resource damage assessment final report