Effects of DDT upon Salmon from Schoodic Lake, Maine

Abstract Schoodic Lake, a relatively large glacial kettle located in the blueberry growing area of Washington County, Maine, is in a section where pesticides have been used intensively in blueberry culture for many years. DDT was implicated as the cause of a high hatchery mortality of landlocked salmon eggs and fry from Schoodic Lake in 1968–1969. This implication prompted a controlled study in 1970 to determine more exactly the effects of the pesticide upon salmon eggs and fry with Schoodic Lake as the parental source. DDT and metabolites in salmon eggs and fry from Schoodic Lake ranged from 7.21 to 10.41 ppm as opposed to 0.28 to 1.31 ppm in control fish from West Grand Lake. The Schoodic lot had a total mortality to feeding of 66% as opposed to a 30% mortality in the West Grand Lake fish. DDT and metabolites in mature salmon from Schoodic Lake in fall, 1969 ranged from 4.03 to 12.22 ppm in contrast to a range of 0.11 to 1.03 ppm in mature salmon from West Grand Lake. DDT and metabolites in mature salmo...