Concentrations of estrogenic chemicals in fish and shellfish tissues from Puget Sound, WA

The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Toxics Biological Observation System (TBiOS) team conducts biennial surveys to monitor the status and trends of toxic contaminants in indicator species throughout Puget Sound, WA, USA. This dataset includes concentrations of estrogenic contaminants measured in whole body, fillet, or bile samples from juvenile Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha), adult resident Chinook salmon, Pacific herring (Clupea pallasii), English sole (Parophrys vetulus), and bay mussels (Mytilus trossulus). These samples were collected as part of TBiOS' ongoing surveys and were opportunistically analyzed for contaminants of emerging concern.

Methods
Sample collection and preparation: Fish were collected by beach seine, gill net, bottom trawl or from a recreational or commercial test fishery between 2013 and 2018. English sole bile samples were collected immediately after collection and frozen at -20°C until analysis. After collection, fish were frozen and stored at -20C or -80C until processed. Fish were processed as whole bodies or edible fillet samples, depending on species. Composite samples were created by combining tissues from 2-20 fish and homogenized into a single representative sample, frozen and stored at -20°C until analysis. 

Mussel samples were from 2012-2013 and 2019-2020 surveys. Cultured, pre-reproductive native bay mussels sourced from a commercial aquaculture facility were caged and deployed at the mean lower low water level in multiple nearshore sites in Puget Sound for 3 months during the winter. Retrieved mussels from each site were cleaned by deionized water to remove external debris and sorted to remove dead mussels. Soft tissues (including the adductor muscle) were removed from 32 live mussels, homogenized into a single composite sample for each site, frozen and stored at -20°C until analysis. 

Analytical chemistry: Whole body and fillet tissue samples were analyzed for alkylphenols, pharmaceuticals and personal care products, and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances at SGS AXYS Analytical Laboratory (Sydney, BC). English sole bile samples were analyzed for a suite of estrogenic chemicals at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Northwest Fisheries Science Center as described in Da Silva et al. (2013).