Cytological--cytogenetic Analyses of Winter Flounder Embryos Collected from the Benthos at the Barge North Cane Oil Spill

摘要

The oil barge North CaPe ran aground on Moonstone Beach in Rhode Island on January 19, 1996, spilling 828000 gallons (U.S.) of a combination of diesel and home heating oils. samples of winter glounder embryos were collected from salt ponds in thc 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 labora- tory-controlled conditions. No chorion damage was noted in embryos collccted from the field nor were there any significant findings of lordosis or scoliosis. The cumulative impact on winter flounder embryos of Noha CaPe oil exposure was an estimated 51/100 reduc- tion in the number of embryos surviving to the larval stage.