haddock, collected from three stations, were examined. The coelenterates 

 occurred in the stomachs of the fish at only one station and probably reflect 

 a local abundance of this prey item. 



The impact of the oil spill on the food habits of various species of 

 groundfish was assessed by surveying the stomach contents. Of the 305 fish 

 stomachs examined, three samples, representing the stomach contents of two 

 species of fish, contained an oil-like material. In two different samples of 

 Atlantic cod collected at Station 29, 25 to 30 miles southwest of the wreck 

 site, oily gammarid amphipods comprised part of the stomach contents. At 

 Station 36 a sample of the stomach contents collected from little skate con- 

 tained an oily caprellid amphipod. Since 1963 more than 38,000 stomachs, 

 representing 82 species of fish, have been analyzed at the Northeast Fish- 

 eries Center and no oil-like materials have previously been reported. Since 

 1969, a total of 393 little skate and 1706 cod have been examined as part of 

 the routine assessment of fish food habits and, again, no oil-like materials 

 have been identified in the stomach contents (Maurer and Bowman, 1975) . 



4.1.6 Physiological Effects of Pollutant Stress 



This section was contributed by D. Gould and F. Thurberg of NMFS, NEFC, 

 Milford, Connecticut, and are based on samples collected during the second 

 Delccware II cruise (DE 77-01). 



Two sets of samples of shellfish and fish collected from Avgo Merchant 

 oil spill area and an adjacent clean area {Detawco'e II cruise 77-01) were 

 examined in the laboratory for physiological disruption. Gill-tissue oxygen 

 consumption rates were measured on ocean scallops (Placopecten magellanicus ) 

 and horse mussels ( Modiolus modiolus ) from both impacted and control areas. 

 Blood samples from six different species of finfish from both impacted and 

 clean areas were also taken on board the research vessel and returned to the 

 laboratory for hematological analysis. Although the samples in both studies 

 are too small for adequate statistical analysis, the results indicate that 

 both hematology measurements and respiration rates were altered in samples 

 taken from the contaminated areas. Hematological measures showed a disrup- 

 tion of the ionic balance in blood serum and depressed respiration rates (O2 

 consumption) . The ionic balance of blood serum from winter and yellow-tail 

 flounder caught within the oil spill area was .disrupted, and the physiolo- 

 gical condition was poorer than that of fish examined from the control area 

 outside the spill. Both measures are useful indicators of disruption of 

 physiological activity possibly caused by the oil spill, and this line of 

 study will be pursued. 



Samples from clean areas were taken during the same cruise of brain, 

 kidney, and gonads from 26 teleosts (6 species) , and of mantle or hepato- 

 pancreas, gills, and gonads from 28 bivalves and crustaceans for biochemical 

 examination. Similar tissues were taken from 24 teleosts and 43 molluscs 

 from oil-impacted areas. To perform exploratory biochemistry on this number 

 of samples of different tissues from different species will take several 

 months. Attempts will be made to search for a possible shift from aerobic to 

 anaerobic metabolism, as well as for induction or repression of enz3raies, to 



113 



