INP-MICON programme 1991–1992: Concentrations of PCBs and PAHs in dab muscle

Specimens of 15-20 cm male dab (Limanda limanda) were collected by beam trawling at sampling locations along transects radiating into the North Sea from coastal areas of The Netherlands. Muscle tissue of the same specimens of dab that were used for measurements of biomarkers of biological effects was used for the analysis of PCBs and PAHs. When the numbers of dabs caught permitted, each sample contained muscle of five specimens from a single haul. Five of such samples were taken at each station. Based on former studies with flatfish, it was assumed that concentrations on a lipid basis would be highly similar in different tissues of each specimen. The CB concentrations were highest in the immediate vicinity of the Dutch coast near the Rhine-Meuse estuary. The concentrations of several unsubstituted and alkylated PAHs were usually just above or below the limit of detection, probably due to biotransformation.