Results of Aquatic Tissue Sampling Performed by the Lower Mississippi River Keeper in November 2010
by:
Wilma Subra
Subra Company
Paul Orr
Lower Mississippi River Keeper
Michael Orr
Louisiana Environmental Action Network
In November 2010, the Lower Mississippi River Keeper and Louisiana Environmental Action Network collected oysters, shrimp, crabs and fish tissue samples from:
St. Bernard Parish
-eastern shoreline of Lake Borgne, South of Petit Pass
-southern leeward side of Half Moon Island
-southwest shoreline of Pearl River Island
-West Karako Bay
Plaquemines Parish
-East Bay
-cut between Southwest Pass and East Bay
-Sandy Point Island
-near the mouth of Bayou Jacques in the pass to Bay Tambour
-Red Pass
Oysters
The oysters collected from St. Bernard Parish contained 13 to 41 mg/kg Total Petroleum Hydrocarbons and 0.9 to 107 ug/kg Naphthalene. The oyster sample from the eastern shoreline of Lake Borgne south of Petit Pass also contained 1.6 ug/kg of the Polynuclear Aromatic Hydrocarbons Phenanthrene, Fluoranthene and Pyrene.
Shrimp
The shrimp collected in St. Bernard Parish contained up to 10 ug/kg Phenanthrene and in Plaquemines Parish up to 123 ug/kg Naphthalene. The Total Petroleum Hydrocarbons in the shrimp were below the detection level of 5 mg/kg in St. Bernard and Plaquemines Parish.
Crab
The crabs collected in St. Bernard Parish contained up to 218 ug/kg Naphthalene. The crabs from Plaquemines Parish contained 73 and 88 ug/kg Naphthalene. The Total Petroleum Hydrocarbons in the crabs from Plaquemines Parish were up to 17 mg/kg. The Total Petroleum Hydrocarbons in the crabs from St. Bernard Parish were below the detection level of 5 mg/kg.
Mussels
The sample of mussels collected from Plaquemines Parish contained 20 mg/kg of Total Petroleum Hydrocarbons and 78 ug/kg of the Polynuclear Aromatic Hydrocarbons Naphthalene and 2-Methylnaphthalene.
Mullet
The mullet samples from St. Bernard and Plaquemines parishes contained 19 and 53 mg/kg Total Petroleum Hydrocarbons, respectively. The mullet from Plaquemines Parish contained 27 ug/kg Polynuclear Aromatic Hydrocarbons Fluoranthene and Phenanthrene.
Menhaden
The menhaden samples from St. Bernard and Plaquemines parishes contained 111 and 33 mg/kg Total Petroleum Hydrocarbons, respectively.
Redfish
The redfish from Plaquemines Parish contained 10 ug/kg Polynuclear Aromatic Hydrocarbon 2-Methylnaphthalene. The Total Petroleum Hydrocarbons were below the detection level of 5 mg/kg.
Fish
The fish sample from Plaquemines Parish contained 55 mg/kg Total Petroleum Hydrocarbons and 81 ug/kg Polynuclear Aromatic Hydrocarbons Naphthalene and 2-Methylnaphthalene.
Conclusion
The aquatic tissue samples collected from St. Bernard and Plaquemines parishes were contaminated with Total Petroleum Hydrocarbons and Polynuclear Aromatic Hydrocarbons associated with the BP Crude Oil.
