| Abstract
| - To test the hypothesis that biomarker levels in fishcollected at Prince William Sound (PWS) sites impactedby the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill were higher than thosecollected at unimpacted sites, a 1999−2000 study collectedfive fish species and associated benthic sedimentsfrom 21 sites in PWS and the eastern Gulf of Alaska(GOA). PWS sites were divided in three oiling categoriesbased upon 1989 shoreline assessments: nonspill path (NSP),spill path oiled (SPO), and spill path not oiled (SPNO).Rockfish (N = 177), rock sole (N = 30), and kelp greenling(N = 49) were collected at near-shore locations (∼50−500 m from shore); Pacific halibut (N = 131) and Pacific cod(N = 81) were collected further offshore (∼500−7000m). Fish were assayed for bile fluorescent aromaticcontaminants (FAC) and cytochrome P4501A (CYP1A)levels measured as liver ethoxyresorufin O-deethylase(EROD) activity and by immunohistochemistry (IHC) of varioustissues. For all species studied at all sites, bile FACconcentrations and CYP1A levels were low and in thesame range for fish collected at PWS SPO and SPNO sitesrelative to NSP sites in PWS and the GOA. Consequently,the hypothesis is rejected for the species studied. Thebile FAC results further indicate a pervasive exposure offish at all sites, including those in the GOA far removed fromthe effects of the spill, to low levels of polycyclic aromatichydrocarbons. Analysis of the benthic sediments indicatesthat the probable sources of this exposure are petrogenichydrocarbons derived from natural oil seeps and erodingsedimentary rocks in the eastern GOA.
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