PERSISTENT ORGANOCHLORINE COMPOUNDS IN THE BLUBBER OF RINGED SEALS (PHOCA-HISPIDA) FROM THE BELCHER ISLANDS, NORTHWEST-TERRITORIES, CANADA

Samples of blubber and morphometric data were obtained in 1991 from a population of ringed seals (Phoca hispida) located in southeastern Hud son Bay, near the Belcher Islands, Several PCB congeners, DDT and its metabolites, components of technical chlordane, HCH compounds, dieldri n and mirex were detected at concentrations below 150 ng/g lipid in th e blubber of these animals. Female seals had lower concentrations of P CB congeners, DDT compounds and chlordane compounds in the blubber tha n male seals from this region, but there were no sex-specific differen ces observed for HCH compounds, dieldrin and mirex. Correlations were observed between the age of male seals and their Estimated 'blubber bu rdens' (mg) of total PCBs and total DDT. There was evidence that the m ale seals front the Belcher Islands had higher concentrations and blub ber burdens of total PCBs and lower concentrations of total HCHs than male seals sampled in 1989 from a population at Holman Island in the n orthwest Canadian arctic. Morphometric data indicated that the Holman Island seals were in better condition than the Belcher Islands seals a t the time of sampling. Dine to the negative correlation observed betw een contaminant concentrations in ringed seals and the condition of th e animals, analysis of blubber burdens in seals may be a preferable me thod for monitoring spatial and temporal trends in the contamination o f ringed seals in the arctic. Copyright (C) 1996 Elsevier Science Ltd