title: Persistent organic pollutants in forage fish prey of rhinoceros auklets breeding in Puget Sound and the northern California Current.
abstract: Organochlorine contaminants in upper trophic-level consumers inhabiting Puget Sound are consistently higher than in those species inhabiting other west coast locations. We analyzed persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in the six most common fish prey of rhinoceros auklets breeding on Protection Island (Puget Sound), Tatoosh Island (WA coast), and Destruction Island (WA coast). Wet-weight concentrations of POPs ranged widely (PCBs: 1.6-25.0 ng/g; DDTs: 0.2-56.0 ng/g; PBDEs:<LOQ-49.0 ng/g), but overall patterns showed fish from Puget Sound were 2-4 times more contaminated and had similar contaminant profiles compared to fish from the outer coast. Unexpectedly elevated PCB and PBDE concentrations in Chinook salmon from the outer coast likely reflected Columbia River. Calculating contaminant loads for auklet nestlings magnified differences observed between inland and outer coast fish prey. Monitoring of breeding auklets, their prey and other resident marine birds is needed to assess biomagnification impacts in the Puget Sound marine ecosystem.
authors.affiliation: Conservation Biology Division, Northwest Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 2725 Montlake Boulevard East, Seattle, WA 98112, USA. Electronic address: tom.good@noaa.gov.
authors.forename: Thomas P
authors.initials: TP
authors.lastname: Good
authors.affiliation: Wildlife Research Division, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, Olympia, WA 98501, USA. Electronic address: scott.pearson@dfw.wa.gov.
authors.forename: Scott F
authors.initials: SF
authors.lastname: Pearson
authors.affiliation: Biology Department, CMB 1088, University of Puget Sound, Tacoma, WA 98416, USA. Electronic address: phodum@ups.edu.
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Hodum
authors.affiliation: Environmental and Fisheries Sciences Division, Northwest Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 2725 Montlake Boulevard East, Seattle, WA 98112, USA. Electronic address: daryle.boyd@noaa.gov.
authors.forename: Daryle
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Boyd
authors.affiliation: Environmental and Fisheries Sciences Division, Northwest Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 2725 Montlake Boulevard East, Seattle, WA 98112, USA. Electronic address: bernadita.anulacion@noaa.gov.
authors.forename: Bernadita F
authors.initials: BF
authors.lastname: Anulacion
authors.affiliation: Environmental and Fisheries Sciences Division, Northwest Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 2725 Montlake Boulevard East, Seattle, WA 98112, USA. Electronic address: gina.ylitalo@noaa.gov.
authors.forename: Gina M
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Ylitalo
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001835:Body Weight; D046091:Charadriiformes / Q000502:physiology*; D003634:DDT / Q000378:metabolism*; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000379:methods / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D004785:Environmental Pollutants / Q000378:metabolism*; D020387:Food Chain; D055768:Halogenated Diphenyl Ethers / Q000378:metabolism*; D010140:Pacific Ocean; D011078:Polychlorinated Biphenyls / Q000378:metabolism*; D012474:Salmon / Q000378:metabolism*; D014861:Washington
chemical_list: D004785:Environmental Pollutants; D055768:Halogenated Diphenyl Ethers; D003634:DDT; D011078:Polychlorinated Biphenyls
keywords: Auklet; California Current; Contaminants; Forage fish; Puget Sound; Salmonids