Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in Alaska pollock (Gadus chalcogrammus) from the northwestern Sea of Okhotsk: Levels of accumulation, origin of contamination, and organ-specific distribution

The aim of the study was to elucidate the accumulation of 14 priority polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in the organs of Alaska pollock. PAHs were detected in all the samples analyzed. Total PAH concentrations ranged from 11 to 877 ng/g dry weight (d.w.) in muscles, from 73 to 5931 ng/g d.w. in the liver, from 277 to 1617 ng/g d.w. in the male gonads, and from 106 to 1664 ng/g d.w. in eggs. All the studied organs were characterized by the predominance of similar PAH congeners. Naphthalene reached the highest level (making up to 60 % of the total concentration), followed by phenanthrene (up to 20 %), fluorene (up to 12 %), and pyrene (up to 10 %). The individual PAH concentrations in the pollock organs may be arranged in the following order: gonads > eggs/liver > muscles. The PAH congeners that dominated in all organs were identical to those previously found in the waters of the Amur Liman. A principal component analysis revealed high correlation between PAH congeners. The similarities in the association of individual PAH groups with principal components (PC) in muscles and liver indicated similar sources of entry into the organism. One of the PCs in eggs indicated their protective properties. The concentrations in the fish studied were higher than those reported in all known studies of PAHs in Gadus sp.