Pathological findings in red snapper livers collected aboard multiple R/V Weatherbird II cruises in the north central region, Gulf of Mexico from 2012-08-13 to 2017-08-01

This dataset contains pathological findings in red snapper (Lutjanus campechanus) livers collected aboard the multiple Weatherbird II cruises WB1304 (2012-08-13 to 2012-08-25), WB1403 (2013-08-15 to 2013-08-30), WB1502 (2014-08-05 to 2014-08-20), WB1602 (2015-08-15 to 2015-08-30), WB1736 (2017-07-18 to 2017-08-01) in the north central region of the Gulf of Mexico, post-Deepwater Horizon. The dataset includes the identified presence of histological changes and images of the gross and histological evaluations. Formalin-fixed tissues were individually evaluated for color, texture, size, shape, and consistency. Photographs were taken with a Sony-Cybershot camera (Sony Corporation, Minato, Tokyo, Japan). At least two photographs were taken of the samples from each container. The first photo contained the label along with the tissues from the sample jar. A second photo was taken of the samples to highlight gross morphology. After a preliminary evaluation, several fish were chosen to characterize specific lesions with special stains. Special stains included Periodic Acid-Schiff (PAS) with and without diastase, Gram stain, Perl’s Iron, Von Kossa, and Masson’s trichrome. Microscopic examination was performed using a Nikon Eclipse 80i (Nikon, Minato, Tokyo, Japan) and photomicrographs were taken with an Accu-scope Excelis HD (Commack, NY). The cruise documentation was provided for the Weatherbird II cruises WB1304, WB1403, WB1502, WB1602, and WB1736 led by chief scientists Dr. Steven Murawski and Dr. David Hollander.