Inshore fish liver biomarker data, northern Gulf of Mexico, March-May 2011.

Biochemical markers (biomarkers) are induced when fish and other organisms are exposed to PAHs and other hydrocarbons. These biomarkers are indicators of the induction of xenobiotic metabolic pathways and oxidative stress defenses in liver. Ethoxyresorufin-O-dethylase (EROD), a marker of phase I metabolism associated with cytochrome p450-1A, Glutathione-S-transferase (GST) a marker of phase II metabolism, and superoxide dismutase (SOD) a marker of oxidative stress defense were measured in several fish species collected at heavily oiled, lightly oiled, and reference sites during the winter and spring of 2011 after the Deepwater Horizon accident.