Mobilization of persistent organic pollutants in humpback whales: Insights from feeding areas in the Antarctic peninsula and Strait of Magellan to migration, breeding, and calving grounds along the Brazilian coast

• Published in: Marine pollution bulletin Vol. 194; p. 115448
• Main Authors: da Silva, Josilene, Taniguchi, Satie, Colabuono, Fernanda Imperatrice, Leonel, Juliana, Rosa, Luciano Dalla, Secchi, Eduardo Resende, Borges, João Carlos Gomes, Siciliano, Salvatore, Acevedo, Jorge, Aguayo-Lobo, Anelio, Baldassin, Paula, Montone, Rosalinda Carmela, Lourenço, Rafael André
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier Ltd 01.09.2023
• Subjects: Antartic peninsula; Humpback whales; Lipophilic contaminants; Migration distances; Persistent organic pollutants (POPs); Migration distances; Humpback whales; Antartic peninsula; Lipophilic contaminants; Persistent organic pollutants (POPs)
• ISSN: 0025-326X; 1879-3363
• DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2023.115448

Southern Hemisphere Megaptera novaeangliae undertake the longest migration, which reflect their exposure to lipophilic contaminants. To assess these changes, persistent organic pollutants were analyzed in blubber samples of humpback whales from three regions: the Antarctic Peninsula (n = 46), the Strait of Magellan, Chile (n = 22), and the Brazilian coast (n = 38). The similarity in PCB and HCB levels between individuals from feeding grounds and breeding grounds suggests contamination during feeding. The whales around the Antarctic Peninsula exhibited a predominance of tetrachlorobiphenyl PCBs. Whales feeding in the Strait of Magellan showed a slight prevalence of 5Cl biphenyls, likely due to their consumption of subantarctic krill species as well as small fishes potentially contaminated by industrial activities in Chile. The dominance of 5-6Cl congeners in whales in Brazil, may be attributed to the extreme physiological changes during fasting when whales utilize blubber reserves and metabolize lighter congeners, or transfer them to their calves. [Display omitted] •PCB and HCB were the major POPs in humpback whale blubber•The dominance of 5-6Cl congeners probably related to changes during fasting•The whales mobilize blubber reserves and metabolize lighter congeners.