POPs in long-finned pilot whales mass stranded in Iceland as a proxy for their physiological condition

• Published in: Marine Pollution Bulletin
• Main Authors: Xuereb, Nicholai, Ólafsdóttir, Kristín, Samarra, Filipa, Svavarsson, Jörundur, Magnúsdóttir, Edda Elísabet
• Other Authors: Faculty of Medicine, Faculty of Life and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Subject Teacher Education, University of Iceland
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: 2023
• Subjects: Globicephala melas; Iceland; Marine mammals; Pilot whale; POPs; Strandings; Oceanography; Aquatic Science; Pollution
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11815/4837; https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2023.115758

Publisher Copyright: © 2023 The Authors Long-finned pilot whales (Globicephala melas) are the most frequently stranded cetaceans in the world; however, the predominant drivers of these events are poorly understood. In this study the levels of persistent organic pollutants from pilot whales stranded in North-east Iceland were quantified and compared to historical data and physical parameters to investigate whether contaminant load may have influenced the physiological state of stranded individuals, how these loads fluctuate with sex and age group, and if this is consistent with the literature. Historical comparison was also carried out to discern how pollutant contamination has changed throughout the past few decades. DDE, transnonachlor and PCB-153 were the top three pollutants respectively. The accumulation of POPs was greater on average in immature individuals than adults, whilst among adults, males had higher concentration than females. Moreover, despite an indication of decreasing POP loads throughout the years, knowledge of harmful thresholds remains exceedingly limited. Peer reviewed