Partitioning and Level of Organochlorine Compounds in the Tissues of the Black Sea Turbot at the South-Western Shelf of Crimea

The organochlorine compounds (OCs) contamination was studied in different tissues of the adult Black Sea turbot (BST) from natural spawning populations of 2008, 2009 and 2013 in the South-Western shelf off Crimea, the Black Sea. Total lipids, six congeners of polychlorinated biphenyl (CB 28, 52, 101, 138, 153, 180) and organochlorine pesticide p,p’DDT including its metabolites p,p’DDE and p,p’DDD were measured in liver, red and white muscles and gonads of males and females of BST. In BST tissues sum of DDT compounds ranged on average from 2.5 to 223.9 ngg wet weight, and sum of six congeners of PCB dominated by hexa-CB 138 and 153 congeners had an overall range 2.0-234.3 ngg wet weight. The main DDT compound detected in BST were the metabolites p,p’-DDE and p,p’-DDD (83% of ΣDDT) indicative of old DDT residues. OCs concentrations positively correlated with extractable lipid content in BST tissues. Sex-related pattern of OCs accumulation in different tissues of BST was found. On average, OCs concentration (on wet weight basis) in liver was twice higher in male than that in female, while OCs concentration in gonads were lower in male than that in female