HEMATOLOGY AND CLINICAL-CHEMISTRY VALUES FOR HARBOR SEALS (PHOCA-VITULINA) FED ENVIRONMENTALLY CONTAMINATED HERRING REMAIN WITHIN NORMAL RANGES

Twenty-two young harbour seals (Phoca vitulina) were fed herring from either the relatively unpolluted Atlantic Ocean or the heavily pollute d Baltic Sea as part of a 21/2-year immunotoxicological study. Blood s amples taken at regular intervals were analyzed for routine haematolog y and clinical chemistry. Minimal differences between the two groups w ere observed in these parameters over the course of the experiment. Of the 20 clinical chemistry parameters analyzed, slight differences wer e found in serum levels of urea, creatinine, magnesium, and cholestero l. In haematology profiles, red blood cell counts and haematocrit valu es were higher in seals fed Baltic herring, but these differences dimi nished over time. Neutrophil counts were also higher in this group of seals, especially during the second half of the feeding study. Factors affecting haematological and clinical chemistry parameters within fee ding groups included gender, age, and season. The data collected demon strate a relative insensitivity of clinical chemistry parameters to th e effects of chronic exposure to environmental contaminants accumulate d through the food chain, but suggest the induction of clear alteratio ns in differential white blood cell counts. In addition, a comprehensi ve set of normal ranges for healthy harbour seals is presented.