Temporal organochlorine profiles in young-of-the-year bluefish (Pomatomus saltatrix) in the Hudson River Estuary

Abstract

The use of “chemical fingerprinting” or “profiling” has been suggested as a means to identify habitat use by young-of-the-year (YOY) bluefish (Pomatomus saltatrix). In this study, seasonal and interannual trends were examined over a 3-year period of 31 polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) congeners and 23 chlorinated pesticides in 176 YOY bluefish collected in the Hudson River Estuary, New York State. Principal component analysis identified distinct and coherent clustering of bluefish according to sampling year. Seasonally, PCB patterns were similar among weight classes, regardless of date of capture. Throughout the study period, there was a consistent seasonal shift toward the heavier chlorinated homologs as size increased even though different congeners contributed to the overall PCB profile in Year 3. Unlike PCBs, there was no consistent pesticide accumulation pattern, which varied seasonally and interannually. The results show the first generalized interannual accumulation profiles of organochlorines during the rapid growth stage of age-0 bluefish. As knowledge of temporal changes in different ecosystems improves, this will improve an understanding on how exposure to chemicals in different ecosystems can affect the long-term health of bluefish.