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Reproduction and polychlorinated biphenyls in Fundulus heteroclitus (Linnaeus) from new bedford harbor, massachusetts, USA

This investigation evaluated polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) accumulation, survival, and reproduction in Fundulus heteroclitus from four stations along a gradient of increasing sediment contamination from West Island in Buzzards Bay, Massachusetts, USA, to the most contaminated area of the New Bedford Harbor, Massachusetts, USA, Superfund site. Fish collected during their natural spawning season were held in the laboratory for 5 weeks. Liver concentrations of non‐ortho‐ and mono‐ortho‐PCBs averaged 0.461, 9.48, 20.8, and 29.3 μg/g dry weight, with dioxin toxic equivalent concentrations (TEQs) of 0.006, 0.132, 0.543, and 1.56 ng/g; differences among stations were statistically significant. Females from two stations within the Superfund site had significantly greater mortality (30 and 23%) compared to those within West Island (0%), and growth was reduced. Progeny of fish from the most contaminated station exhibited significantly reduced survival (49%) and greater incidence of spinal abnormalities (26%) compared to those from West Island (70% survival, 7% spinal abnormalities). No differences in egg production or food consumption were observed. A significant residue‐effect relationship was found between TEQs of liver PCBs and female mortality, consistent with that determined previously from laboratory exposures and validating TEQ as an effects indicator. Embryo and larval survival were inversely related to maternal liver TEQ.