ORGANOCHLORINE CONTAMINATION IN DEEP-SEA FISH FROM THE DAVIS STRAIT

Eight species of deep-sea fish caught at various depths off the west c oast of Greenland exhibited low to moderate organochlorine (OC) contam ination. Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and dichlorodiphenyltrichlor oethane metabolites (DDTs) were the dominating organochlorines. Hepati c levels of sum-PCB (19 individual PCB congeners) ranged from 110 ng g (-1) lipid weight in jelly wolf-fish (Anarhichas denticulatus) to 1156 ng g(-1) in blue hake (Antimora rostrata). Sum-DDT (p,p'-DDE, o,p'-DD D, p,p'-DDD, multiplied by a factor (1.11), and p,p'-DDT) ranged from 70 ng g(-1) in jelly wolf-fish to 1446 ng/g in blue hake. Sum-chlordan es (oxychlordane and trans-nonachlor) ranged from 28 ng g(-1) in jelly wolf-fish to 309 ng g(-1) in roughhead grenadier (Macrourus berglax). HCB (hexachlorobenzene) ranged from 3.6 ng g(-1) in smalleyed rabbit- fish (Hydrolagus affinis) to 73 ng g(-1) in tusk (Brosme brosme). Sum- HCH (hexachlorocyclohexanes alpha-HCH, beta-HCH and gamma-HCH) was of minor importance with levels ranging from 9.3 ng g(-1) in Greenland ha libut (Reinhardtius hippoglossoides) to 22 ng g(-1) in tusk. The level s are lower than most of the corresponding published data from deep-se afish and probably reflect a moderately contaminated area. No simple r elationship was found between organochlorine contamination and depth r ange of the investigated species. (C) 1997 Published by Elsevier Scien ce Ltd.