Pollutant body burdens and reproduction in Platichthys stellatus from San Francisco Bay. Final report

A two-year study of tissue contaminants, inducible mixed-function oxidase (MFO) activity and reproductive success in San Francisco Bay populations of starry flounder, Platichthys stellatus was conducted to determine if lipid-soluble organic contaminants are having sublethal effects on the reproductive success of these populations. Laboratory-spawned females captured at variously-contaminant sites show a highly significant negative relationship between hepatic MFO activity and fertilization success. We have also found an inverse, significant relationship between concentrations of PCBs and embryological success that suggests a direct toxic effect of these chlorinated biphenyls on reproductive success. Most of the variability in fertilization success is due to female factors; males contribute less than 1% of the variability. It appears that the loss of fertilization potential is due, in part, to excess hydration of eggs and the time between follicle rupture and spawning. San Francisco Bay sediments are extensively contaminated with polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons, polychlorinated biphenyls, phthalates and novel marine contaminant, benzthiazole-2 (4-morpholinyl). These, and many as-yet-unidentified compounds, account perhaps for several thousand different xenobiotic contaminants. 59 refs., 16 figs., 33 tabs.