Page 932 - The Toxicology of Fishes

912 The Toxicology of Fishes

Conclusion
Field and laboratory data on flatfish in Puget Sound indicate that exposure to PAHs is associated with
increases in disease and alterations in growth and reproductive function that could potentially reduce
the productivity of fish subpopulations residing at contaminated sites. Studies also suggest that even
short-term exposure to PAHs may be associated with reduced growth and altered immune function in
anadromous fish species that utilize contaminated estuaries in Puget Sound. Similar biological effects
have also been observed in fish in urban coastal waters throughout Europe and the United States,
suggesting that marine pollution and other forms of habitat degradation may be a widespread threat to
fish species, particularly those that rely on nearshore coastal areas for nursery and feeding grounds. The
studies with English sole substantiate the value of a multidisciplinary approach that combines field and
laboratory experiments with quantitative modeling techniques in evaluating the ecological risk to fish
stocks of exposure to chemical pollution. The application of such an approach to other fish species
should yield much interesting information on species differences in sensitivity and the factors that
predispose certain species or stocks to pollution-related impairment, and they improve our ability to
protect these stocks from contaminant-related health injury. Although the effects of PAHs on the health
of Puget Sound fish have been recognized for over two decades, the problem has not diminished, except
in a few urban areas (Seattle Waterfront in Elliott Bay and Thea Foss Waterway in Commencement Bay)
where recent data from the Puget Sound Ambient Monitoring Program indicate significant decreases in
toxicopathic liver lesion risk since 1998 (PSAT, 2004). Because of changes in demography and urban
growth in the Puget Sound Areas, PAHs still pose significant ecological risks to resident bottomfish.

References
Aas, E. and J. Klungsoyr. (1998). PAH metabolites in bile and EROD activity in North Sea fish. Mar. Environ.
Res., 46, 229–232.
Anderson, S., A. Auguier, W. W. Hauck, D. Oakes, W. Vandaele, and H. I. Weisberg. (1980). Statistical Method
for Comparative Studies. John Wiley & Sons, New York.
Anulacion, B. F., T. Hom, W. L. Reichert, and T. K. Collier. (1995). Temporal changes in CYP1A, DNA
adducts, and contaminant residues in fish removed from contaminated sites, in Proceedings of the Second
SETAC World Congress, November 9, Vancouver, B.C.
Anulacion, B., D. Lomax, B. Bill, L. Johnson, and T. Collier. (1997). Assessment of antiestrogenic activity
and CYP1A induction in English sole exposed to environmental contaminants, in Proceedings of the
SETAC 18th Annual Meeting, November 16–20, San Francisco, CA, p. 137.
Arkoosh, M. R. and T. K. Collier. (2002). Ecological risk assessment paradigm for salmon: analyzing immune
function to evaluate risk human and ecological risk. Hum. Ecol. Risk Assess., 8, 265–276.
Arkoosh, M. R., E. Casillas, E. Clemons, B. McCain, and U. Varanasi. (1991). Suppression of immunological
memory in juvenile Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) from an urban estuary. Fish Shellfish
Immunol., 1, 261–277.
Arkoosh, M. R., E. Clemons, M. Myers, and E. Casillas. (1994). Suppression of B-cell mediated immunity
in juvenile Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) after exposure to either a polycyclic aromatic
hydrocarbon or polychlorinated biphenyls. Immunopharmacol. Immunotoxicol., 16, 293–314.
Arkoosh, M. A., E. Clemons, P. Huffman, H. R. Sanborn, E. Casillas, and J. E. Stein. (1996). Leukoproliferative
response of splenic leukocytes from English sole (Pleuronectes vetulus) exposed to chemical contaminants.
Environ. Toxicol. Chem., 15, 1154–1162.
Arkoosh, M. R., E. Casillas, P. Huffman, E. Clemons, J. Evered, J. E. Stein, and U. Varanasi. (1998). Increased
susceptibility of juvenile Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) from a contaminated estuary to
the pathogen Vibrio anguillarum. Trans. Am. Fish. Soc.., 127, 360–374.
Arkoosh, M. R., E. Casillas, E. Clemons, P. Huffman, A. N. Kagley, N. Adams, H. R. Sanborn, T. K. Collier,
and J. E. Stein. (2001). Increased susceptibility of juvenile Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha)
to an infectious disease after exposure to chlorinated and aromatic compounds found in contaminated
urban estuaries. J. Aquat. Anim. Health, 13, 257–268.