Abstract
Brook trout and yellow perch collected while surveying New Brunswick and Nova Scotia headwater lakes were analyzed for DDT metabolites, chlordane, hexacyclohexane isomers, hexachlorobenzene, toxaphene and PCB’s. Concentrations of DDT metabolites were much higher from fish taken from lakes in north-central N.B. (200-700 ng/g wet wt) than from fish taken elsewhere (<10 ng/g). Seventy to 90% of the DDT metabolites was DDE. Chlordane (3-13 ng/g) was analyzed in seven trout, six of them from central N.B. areas with intensive agriculture. Isomers of hexachlorocyclohexane were in highest concentration from north-central N.B. (10-20 ng/g), eastern N.S. (5-15 ng/g) and southern N.B. (5-20 ng/g). In most cases, alpha-hexachlorocyclohexane (lindane) was the isomer in highest concentration. Concentrations of hexachlorobenzene in fish tissues was highly variable with no obvious geographic bias. PCB’s were detected in very few fish, and no toxaphene was detected.