Organochlorine Compounds and Aliphatic Hydrocarbons in Pacific Walrus Blubber

Blubber samples were collected from 8 male and 19 female Pacific walrus (Odobenus rosmarus divergens) taken during a 1991 joint USA/USSR cruise traveling widely through the Bering Sea. Dieldrin was found at a level similar to that reported 10 years earlier; oxychlordane was found at a slightly higher concentration than reported previously (Taylor et al., 1989). Heptachlor epoxide was detected for the first time and found at a low concentration. An initial testing for α-, β- and γ-HCH detected concentrations similar to those in other Bering Sea pinnipeds. Mean ∑PCB was 0.45 μg g−1 wet weight in males and 0.16 μg g−1 in females; only one sample was >1 μg g−1. Traces of aliphatic hydrocarbons were detected in all sampled animals, only pristane ( g g−1) was found in concentrations >1 μg g−1. Small sample sizes, a lack of samples from immature animals, and uniformly low concentrations of contaminants precluded meaningful analysis of age-related effects and regional differences.