Chemical contaminants, pathogen exposure and general health status of live and beach-cast Washington sea otters (Enhydra lutris kenyoni)

Analyses of blood and liver samples from live captured sea otters and liver samples from beachcast sea otter carcasses off the remote Washington coast indicate relatively low exposure to contaminants, but suggest that even at the low levels measured, exposure may be indicated by biomarker response. Evidence of pathogen exposure is noteworthy - infectious disease presents a potential risk to Washington sea otters, particularly due to their small population size and limited distribution. During 2001 and 2002, 32 sea otters were captured, of which 28 were implanted with transmitters to track their movements and liver and blood samples were collected to evaluate contaminant and pathogen exposure. In addition, liver samples from fifteen beachcast animals that washed ashore between 1991 and 2002 were analyzed to provide historical information and a basis of reference for values obtained from live otters. The results indicate low levels of metals, butyltins, and organochlorine compounds in the blood samples, with many of the organochlorines not detected except polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and a few aromatic hydrocarbons detected in the liver of the live captured animals. Aliphatic hydrocarbons were measurable in the liver from the live captured animals; however, some of these are likely from biogenic sources. A significant reduction of vitamin A storage in the liver was observed in relation to PCB, dibutyltin and octacosane concentration. A significant and strong positive correlation in vitamin A storage in the liver was observed for cadmium and several of the aliphatic hydrocarbons. Peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) cytochrome P450 induction was elevated in two of 16 animals and may be potentially related to aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbon exposure. Mean concentration of total butyltin in the liver of the Washington beach-cast otters was more than 15 times lower than the mean concentration reported by Kannan et al. (1998) for Southern sea otters in California. Organochlorine compounds were evident in the liver of beach-cast animals, despite the lack of large human population centers and development along the Washington coast. Concentrations of PCBs and chlordanes (e.g., transchlordane, cis-chlordane, trans-nonachlor, cis-nonachlor and oxychlordane) in liver of Washington beach-cast sea otters were similar to those measured in Aleutian and California sea otters, excluding those from Monterey Bay, which were higher. Mean concentrations of 1,1,1,- trichloro-2,2-bis(p-chlorophyenyl)ethanes (DDTs) were lower, and mean concentrations of cyclohexanes (HCH, e.g., alpha BHC, beta BHC, delta BHC and gamma BHC) were slightly higher in Washington beach-cast otters versus those from California and the Aleutians. Epidemiologically, blood tests revealed that 80 percent of the otters tested positive for morbillivirus and 60 percent for Toxoplasma, the latter of which has been a significant cause of mortality in Southern sea otters in California. This is the first finding of positive morbillivirus titers in sea otters from the Northeast Pacific. Individual deaths may occur from these diseases, perhaps more so when animals are otherwise immuno-compromised or infected with multiple diseases, but a population-threatening die-off from these diseases singly is unlikely while population immunity remains high. The high frequency of detection of morbillivirus and Toxoplasma in the live otters corresponds well with the cause of death of stranded Washington sea otters reported herein, which has generally been attributable to infectious disease. Washington’s sea otter population continues to grow, with over 1100 animals currently inhabiting Washington waters; however, the rate of growth has slowed over recent years. The population has a limited distribution and has not yet reached its carrying capacity and as such, is still considered at high risk to catastrophic events. (PDF contains 189 pages)

Einfluss der Verarbeitung auf lipophile chlororganische Rückstände in Fischen

Influence of fish processing methods on changes of chlordane and toxaphene residue concentrations were studied in various fishery products. Investigation included smoking, marinating and canning of fish. Smoking of Greenland halibut and ocean perch led to an increase in chlordane and toxaphene residue amounts in the edible part in relation to the raw material. A similar increase was observed during the marinating process of herring fillets. In both cases, loss of water was responsible for the observed changes in residue contents. The fat and thus the lipophilic organochlorine compounds remained completely in the products. Canning of herring fillets in tomato sauce reduced the residue concentration of the final product due to dilution by the tomato sauce. The concentrations in the fillets kept nearly unchanged even after storage of cans for six months. No equilibration was observed between residue concentrations in fillets and sauce.

Survey of veterinery [sic] drug residues, environmental contaminants and mycotoxins of cultured shirmp [sic] in Iran

Economical achievement of optimal growth in developing countries may lead to sustainable poverty reduction. Agricultural activities play an important role in economy and human being welfare, which leads to establishment of food security and quality. Aquaculture products in developing countries share 51.4 percent of total agricultural production.7—percent in developed countries. Therefore undoutedly food production by means of quality and quantity has to be increased .The history of shirmp production goes back to 500 years ago. Today 50 countries of the world produce shirmp .In Islamic Republic of Iran shrimp production started since 1992 in the coastal region of Persian Gulf. The shrimp culture farms canbe classified in to 4 different categories; Extensive, semi-extensive, intensive and super instensive. Global ecological manitenanc is one of the major concerns of authorities Human manipulation of nature is the most destructive activity. Industrial sweage leakage in to the rivers and water sources is a big issue that causes reduction in the aquatic population. Heavy metals have an inhibitory effect in the production and growth of sealife. Human intake of food treated with anti microbial cause's allergy, hypersensitivity and develops microbial resistance. Organochlorine compounds contamination may found in hepato pancreatic tissues of aquatic products, Aresnic may transfer to man via plant & animal product contamination. In 1991 during Persian Gulf Mir 700 oil well set

Survey of veterinery drug residues, environmental contaminants and mycotoxins of cultured shirmp in Iran

Economical achievement of optimal growth in developing countries may lead to sustainable poverty reduction. Agricultural activities play an important role in economy and human being welfare, which leads to establishment of food security and quality. Aquaculture products in developing countries share 51.4 percent of total agricultural production and 241 percent in developed countries. Therefore undoubtedly food production by means of quality and quantity has to be increased .The history of shrimp production goes back to 500 years ago. Today 50 countries of the world produce shrimp. In Islamic Republic of Iran shrimp production started since 1992 in the coastal region of Persian Gulf. The shrimp culture farms can be classified in to 4 different categories; extensive, semi-extensive, intensive and super intensive. Global ecological maintenance is one of the major concerns of authorities Human manipulation of nature is the most destructive activity. Industrial sewage leakage in to the rivers and water sources is a big issue that causes reduction in the aquatic population. Heavy metals have an inhibitory effect in the production and growth of sea life. Human intake of food treated with anti-microbial cause's allergy, hypersensitivity and develops microbial resistance. Organochlorine compounds contamination may found in hepatopancreatic tissue of aquatic products, Arsenic may transfer to man via plant and animal product contamination.

Effect of Cattail (Typha domingensis) Extracts, Leachates, and Selected Phenolic Compounds on Rates of Oxygen Production by Salvinia (Salvinia minima)

Salvinia (Salvinia minima Willd.) is a water fern found in Florida waters, usually associated with Lemna and other small free-floating species. Due to its buoyancy and mat-forming abilities, it is spread by moving waters. In 1994, salvinia was reported to be present in 247 water bodies in the state (out of 451 surveyed public waters, Schardt 1997). It is a small, rapidly growing species that can become a nuisance due to its explosive growth rates and its ability to shade underwater life (Oliver 1993). Any efforts toward management of salvinia populations must consider that, in reasonable amounts, its presence is desirable since it plays an important role in the overall ecosystem balance. New management alternatives need to be explored besides the conventional herbicide treatments; for example, it has been shown that the growth of S. molesta can be inhibited by extracts of the tropical weed parthenium (Parthenium hysterophorus) and its purified toxin parthenin (Pande 1994, 1996). We believe that cattail, Typha spp. may be a candidate for control of S. minima infestations. Cattail is an aggressive aquatic plant, and has the ability to expand over areas that weren't previously occupied by other species (Gallardo et al. 1998a and references cited there). In South Florida, T. domingensis is a natural component of the Everglades ecosystem, but in many cases it has become the dominant marsh species, outcompeting other native plants. In Florida public waters, this cattail species is the most dominant emergent species of aquatic plants (Schardt 1997). Several factors enable it to accomplish opportunistic expansion, including size, growth habits, adaptability to changes in the surroundings, and the release of compounds that can prevent the growth and development of other species. We have been concerned in the past with the inhibitory effects of the T. domingensis extracts, and the phenolic compounds mentioned before, towards the growth and propagation of S. minima (Gallardo et al. 1998b). This investigation deals with the impact of cattail materials on the rates of oxygen production of salvinia, as determined through a series of Warburg experiments (Martin et al. 1987, Prindle and Martin 1996).

Magnitude and Extent of Contaminated Sediment and Toxicity in Chesapeake Bay

INTRODUCTION: This report summarizes the results of NOAA's sediment toxicity, chemistry, and benthic community studies in the Chesapeake Bay estuary. As part of the National Status and Trends (NS&T) Program, NOAA has conducted studies to determine the spatial extent and severity of chemical contamination and associated adverse biological effects in coastal bays and estuaries of the United States since 1991. Sediment contamination in U.S. coastal areas is a major environmental issue because of its potential toxic effects on biological resources and often, indirectly, on human health. Thus, characterizing and delineating areas of sediment contamination and toxicity and demonstrating their effect(s) on benthic living resources are viewed as important goals of coastal resource management. Benthic community studies have a history of use in regional estuarine monitoring programs and have been shown to be an effective indicator for describing the extent and magnitude of pollution impacts in estuarine ecosystems, as well as for assessing the effectiveness of management actions. Chesapeake Bay is the largest estuarine system in the United States. Including tidal tributaries, the Bay has approximately 18,694 km of shoreline (more than the entire US West Coast). The watershed is over 165,000 km2 (64,000 miles2), and includes portions of six states (Delaware, Maryland, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia) and the District of Columbia. The population of the watershed exceeds 15 million people. There are 150 rivers and streams in the Chesapeake drainage basin. Within the watershed, five major rivers - the Susquehanna, Potomac, Rappahannock, York and James - provide almost 90% of the freshwater to the Bay. The Bay receives an equal volume of water from the Atlantic Ocean. In the upper Bay and tributaries, sediments are fine-grained silts and clays. Sediments in the middle Bay are mostly made of silts and clays derived from shoreline erosion. In the lower Bay, by contrast, the sediments are sandy. These particles come from shore erosion and inputs from the Atlantic Ocean. The introduction of European-style agriculture and large scale clearing of the watershed produced massive shifts in sediment dynamics of the Bay watershed. As early as the mid 1700s, some navigable rivers were filled in by sediment and sedimentation caused several colonial seaports to become landlocked. Toxic contaminants enter the Bay via atmospheric deposition, dissolved and particulate runoff from the watershed or direct discharge. While contaminants enter the Bay from several sources, sediments accumulate many toxic contaminants and thus reveal the status of input for these constituents. In the watershed, loading estimates indicate that the major sources of contaminants are point sources, stormwater runoff, atmospheric deposition, and spills. Point sources and urban runoff in the Bay proper contribute large quantities of contaminants. Pesticide inputs to the Bay have not been quantified. Baltimore Harbor and the Elizabeth River remain among the most contaminated areas in the Unites States. In the mainstem, deep sediment core analyses indicate that sediment accumulation rates are 2-10 times higher in the northern Bay than in the middle and lower Bay, and that sedimentation rates are 2-10 times higher than before European settlement throughout the Bay (NOAA 1998). The core samples show a decline in selected PAH compounds over the past several decades, but absolute concentrations are still 1 to 2 orders of magnitude above 'pristine' conditions. Core data also indicate that concentrations of PAHs, PCBs and, organochlorine pesticides do not demonstrate consistent trends over 25 years, but remain 10 times lower than sediments in the tributaries. In contrast, tri-butyl-tin (TBT) concentrations in the deep cores have declined significantly since it=s use was severely restricted. (PDF contains 241 pages)

The changes in various iron compounds in culture media for algae. [Translation from: Archiv fur Hydrobiologie Supplemente Band 38(1/2) 151-169, 1970.]

The purpose of this work is a contribution to the quantitative record of the use of iron by planktonic algae. Preliminary experiments with Chlorella to determine the rate of iron intake in the presence of inorganic sources of iron did not produce the desired result. The crucial point of this work is the investigation of the influence of various external factors on the stability of FeEDTA (FeEDTA = Ferric(III)-compound of ethylene-diamine tetra-acetic acid), since this compound appears to be particularly well-suited as a source of iron for planktonic algae (e.g. TAMIYA et al. 1953). Cultures of Chlorella fusca in a light thermostat were used in experimental research. Methods and results are discussed.

Toxicity of four therapeutic compounds to fry of Indian major carps

Toxicity of four therapeutic compounds: sodium chloride, potassium permanganate, potassium dichromate and acriflavine to fry of Catla calla, Labeo rohita and Cirrhinus mrigala was tested. Bioassays were conducted in 5 and 10 liters glass jars in the laboratory for periods of 24-48 hrs. at temperatures of 26° and 32°C. LC 50 values of the chemicals were in the ranges of 5500 to 7500 ppm, 37.5 to 48 ppm, 92.5 to 125 ppm and 47.5 to 80 ppm respectively. The results obtained are of value in evolving cheap control methods against some common fish diseases. Sodium chloride and acriflavine can be widely used for chemotherapy and potassium dichromate is preferable to potassium permanganate for prophylaxis.

Preservation of Sardinella longiceps in iced and chilled seawater. Part 1 - Changes during storage with particular reference to bacterial load and nitrogenous compounds

Oil sardines in prime condition were subjected to onboard chilling. Two lots were chilled in CSW (samples C and CI), a third lot was chilled in crushed ice (sample I) and a fourth lot left not iced on deck (Sample AI). Upon landing sample AI was iced and sample CI was removed from the CSW and iced. All the four samples were kept in a chilled room for storage studies. The fish chilled and stored in CSW recorded the least, and the fish subjected to delayed icing, the highest values for all the indices of spoilage namely, free amino nitrogen, trimethylamine (TMA) and total volatile base nitrogen (TVBN). The total psychrophilic bacterial number also showed a similar trend. The organoleptic assessment of the cooked samples revealed C I, CI, AI to be the order of preference throughout the storage. This assessment was found to hold good for the rest of the parameters as well. The CSW held fishes were found to be distinctly superior to the iced ones for the first five days of storage. Such a marked prevalence in quality for five days would suffice for the fish to fetch a premium in the market over other landings of the same fish whether chilled or not chilled. Chilling on board in CSW and icing the same after landings, did not show encouraging results.

Organochlorine insecticide residues in sediments from the coast of Chittagong, Bangladesh

A total of 5 samples of marine sediments were analyzed for residues of organochlorine insecticide from the coast of Chittagong, Bangladesh. The analytical method consisted of 3 phases, extraction, clean-up and, analysis through Gas Chromatography (GC) with Electron Capture Detector (ECD). The concentration ranges were as follows 0.18 - 1.33 ng.g¹ for aldrin, 0.2 - 1.84 ng.g¹ for dielddrin, 0.30 - 1.31 ng.g¹ for endrin, 0.11 - 0.26 ng.g¹ for lindane, 0.56- 3.36 ng.g¹ for heptachlor, 0.2- 1.51 ng.g¹ for P,P' DDE, 0.18- 2.91 ng.g¹ for P,P' DDD, 0.11 - 3.12 ng.g¹ for P,P' DDT. These results reveal that the sediments along coast of Chittagong are slightly contaminated with some of these organochlorine insecticides.

Extraction and structure elucidation of natural compounds of some gorgonians of the Persian Gulf and also physiological and pharmacological effects of gorgonian extract on some selected organisms

In the present research, investigations were carried out for structure elucidation of natural compounds and also for studing biological and teratogenical effects of two Genus of soft corals named as " Echinogorgia cf. indica" and "Sinularia erecta" in Persian Gulf. First, 350 gr Echinogorgia was extracted by Acetone, then, the extract was separated by ether from aqueos phase to give 4.5 gr oil. The oil eluted with Petrol - ether Et2 o (9:1) which was recovered Linderazulene and it's derivative as purple Cristals (350 mg/ca 0.1 %). In order to determine molecular structure, the Samples were used for spectroscopic method as: H1- NMR , C13- NMR and 2D NMR. Also, for extraction and structure elucidation of natural compounds, the soft coral " sinularia erecta " were used 1187/37 gr and extracted by Aceton. The extract was concentrated and resulting aqueous suspension and extracted by using ether to give 8.41 gr oil. The oil , was Chromatographed on a column of silica gel and some different fractions were gathered. Initial fraction (1-11) which were nonpolar compounds were seprated by GC/MS. Mass spectrum were prepared and much compounds were recognized.

A review of the distribution of organic compounds in freshwater lakes and rivers

The paper reviews the distribution of organic compounds in freshwater lakes and rivers. The study of dissolved organic matter in natural lakes and rivers is of importance for a variety of reasons. The organic matter may serve in part or whole as an energy source for organisms living in the aquatic environment, or it may supply them with materials essential for their nutrition.