Histopathology of adult Pacific herring in Prince William Sound, Alaska, after the Exxon Valdez oil spill

1999 ◽  
Vol 56 (3) ◽  
pp. 419-426 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gary D Marty ◽  
Mark S Okihiro ◽  
Evelyn D Brown ◽  
David Hanes ◽  
David E Hinton
Keyword(s):  
Oil Spill ◽  
Hepatic Necrosis ◽  
Polynuclear Aromatic Hydrocarbons ◽  
Viral Hemorrhagic Septicemia Virus ◽  
Pacific Herring ◽  
Prince William Sound ◽  
Reference Sites ◽  
Exxon Valdez ◽  
Tissue Samples ◽  
Exxon Valdez Oil Spill

Pacific herring (Clupea pallasi) sampled from oiled sites in Prince William Sound, Alaska, U.S.A., 3 weeks after the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill had multifocal hepatic necrosis and significantly increased tissue concentrations of polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH). By comparison, Pacific herring from reference sites in 1989 and from all sites in 1990 and 1991 did not have hepatic necrosis or increased PAH concentrations. Adult Pacific herring were sampled for histopathology of liver, spleen, and kidney from oiled and reference sites in April (1989 and 1991) and October (1990 and 1991). Increased scores for macrophage aggregates contributed to significant differences in 1990, but these differences probably resulted from sampling older fish from the oiled site. Naphthalenes were the predominant PAH in all tissue samples. The development of hepatic necrosis and the predominance of naphthalenes in samples from 1989 is consistent with recent laboratory study in which crude oil exposure resulted in dose-dependent expression of viral hemorrhagic septicemia virus (VHSV). We conclude that Pacific herring were exposed to Exxon Valdez oil in 1989 and that development of hepatic necrosis in exposed fish probably was a result of VHSV expression.

DISSOLVED- AND PARTICULATE-PHASE HYDROCARBONS IN INTERSTITIAL WATER FROM PRINCE WILLIAM SOUND INTERTIDAL BEACHES CONTAINING BURIED OIL THIRTEEN YEARS AFTER THE EXXON VALDEZ OIL SPILL

2005 ◽  
Vol 2005 (1) ◽  
pp. 83-88 ◽  
Author(s):  
James R. Payne ◽  
William B. Driskell ◽  
Mandy R. Lindeberg ◽  
Wyatt Fournier ◽  
Marie L. Larsen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Molecular Weight ◽  
Oil Spill ◽  
Interstitial Water ◽  
Water Soluble ◽  
Prince William Sound ◽  
Reference Sites ◽  
Exxon Valdez ◽  
Exxon Valdez Oil Spill ◽  
Diesel Spill ◽  
Dissolved Phase

ABSTRACT Buried oil residues in selected beaches that were heavily contaminated by the 1989 Exxon Valdez Oil Spill (EVOS) continue to leach oil-contaminated suspended particulate material (SPM) and dissolved-phase polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) into interstitial- and near-shore waters. Both are bioavailable forms of hydrocarbons that can be absorbed or consumed. On selected intertidal beaches in Prince William Sound (PWS) during June 2002, nearshore- and interstitial-water samples were collected during outgoing tides, first from a water depth of 10–15 cm above undisturbed sediments at water's edge and then from pits dug just above the waterline. At the time of collection, all samples were vacuum-filtered through 0.7-µm pore-size, glass-fiber filters using a Portable Large Volume Water Sampling System (PLVWSS) to separate dissolved- and oil-contaminated SPM fractions for detailed hydrocarbon analyses and fingerprinting. From intertidal pits at oil-impacted sites, interstitial water and SPM displayed strong oil signatures and elevated (albeit variable) PAH and n-alkane levels compared to the trivial non-petrogenic signatures seen at the reference sites. The dissolved-phase samples at the oil-impacted sites were typically characterized by water-soluble, lower-molecular-weight PAH, while the SPM/oil-phase contained the relatively-insoluble, higher-molecular-weight PAH and n-alkanes. Water's-edge samples (collected before any pits were excavated) typically showed a diluted- and degraded-compositional signature traceable to the interstitial water from higher tide levels. Interstitial-water dissolved-phase concentrations (average 1,200 ng/L.; 76–4,600 ng/L vs. 18–27 ng/L for reference sites) were above those reported to cause impacts to herring and salmon eggs (<1,000 ng/L; Rice et al., 2001). At reference sites, the water's edge samples matched the interstitial water with very low, non-petrogenic signatures. A recent diesel spill at a nearby site showed dissolved-phase patterns similar to those at the current EVOS sites.

Histopathology and cytogenetic evaluation of Pacific herring larvae exposed to petroleum hydrocarbons in the laboratory or in Prince William Sound, Alaska, after the Exxon Valdez oil spill

1997 ◽  
Vol 54 (8) ◽  
pp. 1846-1857 ◽  
Author(s):  
G D Marty ◽  
J E Hose ◽  
M D McGurk ◽  
E D Brown ◽  
D E Hinton
Keyword(s):  
Oil Spill ◽  
Pacific Herring ◽  
Prince William Sound ◽  
Exxon Valdez ◽  
Exxon Valdez Oil Spill ◽  
Clupea Pallasi ◽  
Vacuolar Change ◽  
Pericardial Edema ◽  
Oil Exposure ◽  
Prudhoe Bay

Following the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill in Prince William Sound, Alaska, USA, Pacific herring (Clupea pallasi) larvae sampled from oiled sites had ascites, pericardial edema, and genotoxic damage. Laboratory study confirmed that these lesions were consistent with oil exposure. Pacific herring larvae were trawled from two oiled and two unoiled sites in Prince William Sound in May 1989. Larvae from oiled sites were shorter, had ingested less food, had slower growth (oiled, 0.07-0.10 mm/day; unoiled, 0.15-0.18 mm/day), and had higher prevalence of cytogenetic damage (oiled, 56-84%; unoiled, 32-40%) and ascites (oiled, 16%; unoiled, 1%) than from unoiled sites. In the laboratory experiment, Pacific herring eggs were exposed to an oil-water dispersion of Prudhoe Bay crude oil (initial concentrations of 0.0, 0.10, 0.24, 0.48, and 2.41 mg/L) and sampled for histopathology <24 h after hatching. Effects were significant at the 0.48 mg/L dose (Dunnett's procedure, P < 0.05). Lesions included ascites; hepatocellular vacuolar change; and degeneration or necrosis of skeletal myocytes, retinal cells, and developing brain cells. Lesions in field-sampled larvae were consistent with higher mortality rates documented in larvae from oiled sites.

scholarly journals Nine Years After the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill: Effects on Marine Bird Populations in Prince William Sound, Alaska

The Condor ◽  
2000 ◽  
Vol 102 (4) ◽  
pp. 723-737 ◽  
Author(s):  
David B. Irons ◽  
Steven J. Kendall ◽  
Wallace P. Erickson ◽  
Lyman L. McDonald ◽  
Brian K. Lance
Keyword(s):  
Oil Spill ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Population Level ◽  
Prince William Sound ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Exxon Valdez ◽  
Marine Bird ◽  
Marine Birds ◽  
Exxon Valdez Oil Spill ◽  
Positive Effects

Abstract We compared post Exxon Valdez oil-spill densities of marine birds in Prince William Sound from 1989–1991, 1993, 1996, and 1998 to pre-spill densities from 1984–1985. Post-spill densities of several species of marine birds were lower than expected in the oiled area of Prince William Sound when compared to densities in the unoiled area. These negative effects continued through 1998 for five taxa: cormorants, goldeneyes, mergansers, Pigeon Guillemot (Cepphus columba), and murres. Black Oystercatchers (Haematopus bachmani) and Harlequin Ducks (Histrionicus histrionicus) exhibited negative effects in 1990 and 1991. Loons showed a weak negative effect in 1993. Black-legged Kittiwakes (Rissa tridactyla) showed relative decreases in 1989, 1996, and 1998 which may have been caused by shifts in foraging distribution rather than declines in populations. Glaucous-winged Gulls (Larus glaucescens) showed positive effects in most post-spill years. Murrelets and terns showed relative increases in 1993, 1996, and 1998. Generally, taxa that dive for their food were negatively affected, whereas taxa that feed at the surface were not. Effects for some taxa were dependent upon the spatial scale at which they were analyzed. Movements of birds and the mosaic pattern of oiling reduced our ability to detect oil-spill effects, therefore our results may be conservative. Several marine bird species were negatively affected at the population level and have not recovered to pre-spill levels nine years after the oil spill. The reason for lack of recovery may be related to persistent oil remaining in the environment and reduced forage fish abundance.

Comparative Toxicities of Polar and Non-Polar Organic Fractions From Sediments Affected By the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill in Prince William Sound, Alaska

1995 ◽  
Vol 10 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 137-156 ◽  
Author(s):  
Douglas A. Wolfe ◽  
K. John Scott ◽  
John R. Clayton ◽  
John Lunz ◽  
James R. Payne ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Oil Spill ◽  
Prince William Sound ◽  
Exxon Valdez ◽  
Exxon Valdez Oil Spill ◽  
Organic Fractions
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