Levels and patterns of persistent organochlorines in minke whale ( Balaenoptera acutorostrata) stocks from the North Atlantic and European Arctic

Minke whales appear to be quite mobile and have multiple feeding areas in the NE Atlantic Ocean. Regional variation in PCBs and organochlorine (OC) pesticide concentrations was examined using the blubber of 155 minke whales ( Balaenoptera acutorostrata) sampled in seven regions in the North Atlantic...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:	Environmental pollution (1987) 2003-01, Vol.121 (2), p.239-252
Main Authors:	Hobbs, K.E, Muir, D.C.G, Born, E.W, Dietz, R, Haug, T, Metcalfe, T, Metcalfe, C, Øien, N
Format:	Article
Language:	eng
Subjects:	Analysis of Variance Animals Arctic Regions Atlantic Ocean Balaenoptera acutorostrata Cetacea Female Insecticides - analysis Male Marine Minke whales North Atlantic Organochlorine pesticides PCBs Polychlorinated Biphenyls - analysis Sexual Maturation Stock delineation Water Pollutants, Chemical - analysis Whales - metabolism
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Summary:	Minke whales appear to be quite mobile and have multiple feeding areas in the NE Atlantic Ocean. Regional variation in PCBs and organochlorine (OC) pesticide concentrations was examined using the blubber of 155 minke whales ( Balaenoptera acutorostrata) sampled in seven regions in the North Atlantic and European Arctic, including western and southeastern Greenland, the Norwegian Sea, the North Sea and the Barents Sea. The levels and relative proportions of OCs were also used to examine the boundaries for North Atlantic minke whale stocks previously defined by the International Whaling Commission (IWC). Concentrations of major OC groups (ΣPCB, 89.1–22 800 ng/g lipid; ΣDDT, 65.3–6280 ng/g lipid; ΣCHL, 33.3–2110 ng/g lipid) generally increased from west to east, while HCH concentrations (ΣHCH,
ISSN:	0269-7491 1873-6424