SALMON LIPID STORAGE SITES AND THEIR ROLE IN CONTAMINATION WITH WATER-SOLUBLE PETROLEUM MATERIALS

The Braer tanker wreck demonstrated the danger of petroleum spills to salmon farms. The water soluble fraction (WSF) of crude petroleum oils is quite different from the parent oils. Ir is rich in methyl- and al kyl-substituted monoaromatic and lower molecular weight polyaromatic h ydrocarbons, guaranteeing strong petroleum flavor. Both n-alkanes abov e C-9 and more complex hydrocarbons above the methylnaphthalenes are v irtually absent. The WSF in salmon intercellular fluids is rapidly dep urated but a portion dissolves into the adipocyte cells in the salmon muscle and is retained much longer. The distribution of adipocytes alo ng the myosepta of white muscle and in the belly flaps has been define d by histochemistry and their isolation by collagenase, centrifugation , and flotation is described. In dark muscle small fat droplets are in stead found among and within the cells of muscle fibers.