Kepone Concentration in Juvenile Anadromous

Young-of-the-year alewife, American shad, blueback herring, and striped bass were analyzed for Kepone contamination. Samples were collected from the Potomac, Rappahannock, Pamunkey, Mattaponi, Chickahominy, and James rivers during the period 1977-79. Concentrations of Kepone >0.3 ppm occurred in all four species collected in the James River nursery zone between km 65 and 120, and in the lower Chickahominy River. Concentrations of Kepone <0.3 ppm were also present in samples from the Mattaponi and Pamunkey rivers. Four possible explanations for the occurrence of Kepone in these samples from the upper York River system (Mattaponi and Pamunkey rivers) were evaluated. Kepone was not detectable in samples from the Rappahannock and Potomac rivers.