Pacific Northwest salmon poisoning killer whales
Study finds planet's most PCB-contaminated mammals, says one researcher
Killer whales that feast on salmon in the Pacific Northwest are getting a heaping side of contaminants with each meal. The chinook salmon are heavily dosed with chemicals such as DDT and PCBs, nearly all of which the fish acquire in their years at sea, reports a new study in the January Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry.
“These are some of the most PCB-contaminated mammals on the planet,” says Peter S. Ross, a research scientist with Fisheries and Oceans Canada in Sidney, British Columbia. Ross is advisor to Donna Cullon, a doctoral student at the University of Victoria in British Columbia who led the new work.
The study investigated organic pollutants in chinook salmon to better understand chemical exposure in a population of resident orcas that live around Vancouver Island and Puget Sound. There is concern for both the northern and southern populations, which are both protected.