Contaminants and Biomarker Assays in Beluga Whales from the Eastern Chukchi Sea.

Abstract

The project has three primary components, namely 1) age determination, 2) analysis of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and other classes of organic contaminants, and (3) assessment of selected biomarkers of effects of stressors. The results achieved to date will be described separately in this report. Samples (eye lens, serum, blubber, and liver) were acquired by a team of scientists led by Dr. Robert Suydam (North Slope Borough, Department of Wildlife Management; NSB) during the 2012 subsistence harvest of beluga whales (Delphinapterus leucas) by the community of Point Lay, Alaska. The list of samples collected for age determination and biomarker analyses, together with morphometric and other data for each whale appears in Table 1. In addition, samples of liver and blubber were collected and sent to Mote Marine Laboratory for the contaminant analyses.