Survey of Alaskan subsistence fish, marine mammal, and invertebrate samples collected 1989-91 for exposure to oil spilled from the Exxon Valdez. Volume 1. Technical memo

Technical Report · Fri Oct 01 00:00:00 EDT 1993

OSTI ID:5415665

Varanasi, U; Brown, D W; Hom, T; Burrows, D G; Sloan, C A

The Exxon Valdez ran aground on Bligh Reef, Prince William Sound, Alaska on March 24, 1989, spilling millions of gallons of Prudhoe Bay crude oil (PBCO). During the weeks following the spill, large amounts of oil flowed towards southwestern Prince William Sound, and as a result, many shorelines were oiled. In the study, edible flesh of fish, marine mammals, and shellfish from 22 native subsistence food collection areas and from two reference areas (Angoon and Yakutat) were analyzed for aromatic compounds (ACs). Vertebrates can readily biotransform ACs to metabolites that are concentrated in bile for excretion. This process greatly limits the accumulation of ACs in tissues such as edible flesh. Thus, for fish and marine mammals, bile was first analyzed for the presence of fluorescent aromatic compounds (FACs) as an indication of exposure to petroleum.

• Research Organization: National Marine Fisheries Service, Seattle, WA (United States). Northwest Fisheries Science Center
• OSTI ID: 5415665
• Report Number(s): PB-94-131935/XAB; NOAA-TM-NMFS-NWFSC-12
• Resource Relation: Other Information: See also PB--91-152132
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

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