Organotin Compounds in Liver Tissue of Harbour Porpoises (Phocoena phocoena) and Grey Seals (Halichoerus grypus) from the Coastal Waters of England and Wales

摘要

Common (harbour) porpoises (Phocoena phocoena) are small cetaceans which are widely distributed throughout the temperate and sub-Arctic waters in the Northern Hemisphere. They are essentially coastal animals, generally bottom-feeding on small schooling fish such as herring or anchovy, although they are also sighted offshore in deep-water areas (Martin, 1990; Northridge et al., 1995). They are under threat in a number of areas around the North Atlantic as a result of the scale of incidental capture in fishing gear (Clausen and Andersen, 1988; Hammond et al., 1995; International Whaling Commission, 1996; NMFS, 1992; Read and Gaskin, 1990; Trippel et al., 1996). Grey seal (Halichoerus grypus) populations occur in the Baltic Sea and the NE and NW Atlantic Ocean, with the greater part of the NE Atlantic population being found around the British Isles (Bonner, 1989).