Cytological-cytogenetic analyses of winter flounder embryos collected from the benthos at the barge North Cape oil spill

Abstract

The oil barge North Cape ran aground on Moonstone Beach in Rhode Island on January 19, 1996, spilling 828 000 gallons (U.S.) of a combination of diesel and home heating oils. Samples of winter flounder embryos were collected from salt ponds in the area of the spill using an epibenthic sled. An examination of the field-sampled embryos based on gross morphology, levels of moribund embryos, mitotic index, and chromosomal anomalies found that a significant number exhibited high levels of one or more of these conditions when compared with flounder embryos raised under laboratory-controlled conditions. No chorion damage was noted in embryos collected from the field nor were there any significant findings of lordosis or scoliosis. The cumulative impact on winter flounder embryos of North Cape oil exposure was an estimated 51% reduction in the number of embryos surviving to the larval stage.