ORGANOCHLORINE CONTAMINANTS IN BLUBBER OF 4 SEAL SPECIES - INTEGRATING BIOMONITORING AND SPECIMEN BANKING

Blubber samples from four Alaska seal species (bearded seal, Erignathu s barbatus; harbor seal, Phoca vitulina; northern fur seal, Callorhinu s ursinus; ringed seat, P. hispida) were collected for inclusion in th e US National Biomonitoring Specimen Bank, as well as for immediate an alysis as part of the contaminant monitoring component of the US Natio nal Marine Fisheries Service's Marine Mammal Health and Stranding Resp onse Program. The blubber samples were analyzed for organochlorine (OC ) contaminants (e.g., PCB congeners, pesticides, DDTs). Results for be arded and ringed seals from the Alaska Arctic revealed low blubber con centrations of OC contaminants. Harbor seals from Prince William Sound , Gulf of Alaska, had somewhat higher blubber concentrations of OC con taminants. In contrast, northern fur seals sampled from the Pribilof I slands had blubber concentrations of certain OC contaminants that were about an order of magnitude higher than those found in the other seal species. Differences in contaminant concentrations among the Alaska s eals may be explained by differences in feeding habits and migratory p atterns; age or gender did not appear to account for the differences o bserved. The highest concentrations of OCs were found in harbor seals stranded along the northwestern US mainland, which is consistent with higher concentrations of anthropogenic contaminants being found in urb an coastal areas than in more remote Arctic environments. The integrat ion of real-time contaminant monitoring with specimen banking provides important baseline data that can be used to plan and manage banking a ctivities. This includes identifying appropriate specimens that are us eful in assessing temporal trends and increasing the utility of the ba nked samples in assessing chemical contaminant accumulation and relati onships to biological effects.