Assessment of the genetic toxicological impacts of the Exxon Valdez oil spill on pink salmon (Oncorhynchus gorbuscha) may be confounded by the influence of hatchery fish.

SENSITIVITY OF FISH EMBRYOS TO WEATHERED CRUDE OIL: PART II. INCREASED MORTALITY OF PINK SALMON (<i>ONCORHYNCHUS GORBUSCHA</i>) EMBRYOS INCUBATING DOWNSTREAM FROM WEATHERED <i>EXXON VALDEZ</i> CRUDE OIL

We incubated pink salmon embryos under three exposure conditions, direct contact with oil-coated gravel, effluent from oil-coated gravel, and direct contact with gravel coated with very weathered oil (VWO). Embryo mortalities and polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) accumulation in embryo tissues during the direct-contact and effluent exposure experiments were not significantly different, ind...

Evaluating signals of oil spill impacts, climate, and species interactions in Pacific herring and Pacific salmon populations in Prince William Sound and Copper River, Alaska

The Exxon Valdez oil spill occurred in March 1989 in Prince William Sound, Alaska, and was one of the worst environmental disasters on record in the United States. Despite long-term data collection over the nearly three decades since the spill, tremendous uncertainty remains as to how significantly the spill affected fishery resources. Pacific herring (Clupea pallasii) and some wild Pacific sal...

Impact of the Oil Spill on Juvenile Pink and Chum Salmon and Their Prey in Critical Nearshore Habitats

The objective of this study was to determine the impact of the Exxon Valdez oil spill on juvenile pink and chum salmon during their initial period of residency in nearshore marine habitats of western Prince William Sound. In oiled locations, both pink and chum salmon fry in the nearshore marine environment were contaminated by hydrocarbons in 1989, but not in 1990. Field observations and labora...

Exxon Valdez Oil Spill

Pristane (2,6,10,14-tetramethylpentadecane) concentrations in mussels (Mytilus trossulus) increase abruptly during spring in Prince William Sound (PWS), Alaska. This increase is mainly due to ingestion by mussels of pristane-laden feces produced by near-shore zooplanktivores, especially juvenile pink salmon (Oncorhynchus gorbuscha). Examination of the trophic and temporal distribution of prista...

Synthesis of long-term impacts to pink salmon following the Exxon Valdez oil spill: persistence, toxicity, sensitivity, and controversy