Characterization of sediments and mussels to determine if oil and metal contamination is affecting the scallop population in Port au Port Bay, NL

This study investigated whether the decline of the scallop fishery in Port au Port Bay, Newfoundland was caused by hydrocarbon contamination. Potential hydrocarbon contaminants and sediments were chemically characterized for their organic and inorganic components. A new method for extracting sediment samples using accelerated solvent extraction was developed and applied to extract polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and alkanes from sediment samples. Water samples were chemically characterized for signs of inorganic and organic contamination. Since there were no scallops present at the study sites, mussels were used as a proxy organism. Mussels were analyzed for contaminants, Δ¹⁴C, and their health indices. No signs of contamination in the sediments, water, or mussels were detected. This data suggested the decline of the scallop fishery in Port au Port Bay cannot be explained by petroleum hydrocarbons from the leaking oil well.