Indicators of reproductive development in prespawning female winter flounder (Pleuronectes americanus) from urban and non-urban estuaries in the northeast United States

The relationship between exposure to xenobiotic compounds and ovarian development was evaluated in prespawning female winter flounder (Pleuronectes americanus) sampled from eleven sites on the northeast coast of the United States during the 1988 and 1989 spawning seasons. Three sites were located in Boston Harbor, MA, four sites were in Raritan Bay, NJ and four sites were in nearby embayments. Sediments from these sites exhibited a wide range in concentrations of xenobiotic compounds (e.g. aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) concentrations ranged from 20 to 50 000 ng/g dry wt. and polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) concentrations ranged from 2 to 1400 ng/g dry wt.), with the sites in Boston Harbor and Raritan Bay the most heavily contaminated. The following parameters associated with ovarian development were measured: ovarian developmental stage, ovarian atresia, gonadosomatic index, plasma estradiol, fecundity and egg weight. Contaminant exposure was assessed by measuring concentrations of fluorescent aromatic compounds (FACs) in the bile, hepatic aryl hydrocarbon hydroxylase (AHH) activity, concentrations of PCB in liver, ovary and brain and concentrations of xenobiotic-DNA adducts in liver tissue. Additionally, liver tissue was examined histologically for the presence of suspected toxicopathic lesions. In general, indicators of contaminant exposure were elevated and prevalences of suspected toxicopathic lesions were highest in fish from sites within Boston Harbor and Raritan Bay. Hepatic AHH activity, however, was heavily influenced by the reproductive cycle and showed little correlation with other indicators of contaminant exposure. Evidence of decreased egg weight and increased atresia in fish with high tissue concentrations of PCB or high levels of FACs in bile was observed. However, contaminant exposure had no clear negative impact on gonadal recrudescence, gonadosomatic index, plasma estradiol concentrations, or fecundity in female winter flounder. These results are in contrast to results with another Pleuronectid species, English sole (Pleuronectes vetulus), which shows inhibited gonadal development and lower plasma estradiol concentrations at contaminated sites in Puget Sound, WA. The apparent difference between English sole and winter flounder in susceptibility to contaminant-induced reproductive dysfunction could be related to a number of factors, including the differences in the migratory behavior of the two species during the reproductive season. English sole reside in contaminated estuaries throughout vitellogenesis and move offshore to spawn, while winter flounder often remain offshore for extended periods during early vitellogenesis and move into contaminated estuaries prior to spawning. Because of these contrasting migration patterns, both the duration and timing of exposure to contaminants during gonadal recrudescence may differ substantially in these two species and may contribute, in part, to the observed differences in the prevalence of reproductive dysfunction in fish from contaminated estuaries.