Johnson et a I.: Fecundity and egg weight in Pleuronectes vetulus 
237 
Table 2 
Mean values (± SE) of fecundity, egg weight, relative fecundity, and reproductive rate in English sole from four sites in Puget 
Sound, and results of 2-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) assessing effects of site and month of collection on these variables. All 
variables were normalized by log transformation prior to statistical analysis. EH = Eagle Harbor, DW = Duwamish Waterway, SI 
= Sinclair Inlet, and PS = Port Susan, ns = not significant. 
Site 
Fecundity 
(egg no. x 10 5 ) 
Egg weight 
(gg) 
Relative fecundity 
(eggs/g gutted wt) 
Reproductive rate 
(g eggs/yr) 
Dec 
Jan 
Dec 
Jan 
Dec 
Jan 
Dec 
Jan 
Port Susan 
2.34 ±0.25 
2.65 ± 0.28 
5.3 ± 0.2 
16.7 ± 1.8 
770 ± 50 
1,250 ± 126 
1.4 ± 0.40 
4.2 + 0.70 
(n=19) 
(«= 9) 
(71 = 19) 
(77=10) 
(77=19) 
(77=9) 
(77 = 19) 
(77=9) 
Sinclair Inlet 
5.44 + 0.70 
2.78 ± 0.27 
4.1 + 0.5 
13.9 ± 2.2 
1,080 + 82 
670 ± 62 
2.4 ± 0.45 
3.7 + 0.27 
(n= 15) 
(4) 
(n=15) 
(77=4) 
(77 = 15) 
(77=4) 
(77 = 15) 
(77=4) 
Duwamish 
4.74 ± 0.38 
3.92 + 0.43 
4.4 ± 0.7 
10.7+ 1.4 
1,190 ± 57 
1,220± 106 
2.2 ± 0.41 
4.0 ± 0.64 
(re=17) 
(77=10) 
(71 = 17) 
(77=10) 
(77=17) 
(77= 10 ) 
(77=17) 
(77 = 10) 
Eagle Harbor 
3.22 ± 0.32 
3.64 ± 0.46 
4.6 ± 0.9 
11.4+ 1.2 
760 ± 64 
1,020 ± 73 
1.7 + 0.44 
4.3 ± 0.74 
(n= 15) 
(n=10) 
(77=15) 
(77=10) 
(77 = 15) 
(77=10) 
(77= 17 ) 
(77=10) 
2-way ANOVA results 
Month 
ns 
ns 
F= 94.42 
P = 0.0001 
ns 
ns 
F= 36.57 
P = 0.0001 
Dec 
< Jan 
Dec 
c Jan 
Site 
F=8.83 
P=0.0001 
ns 
ns 
F= 6.22 
P=0.0004 
ns 
ns 
DW 
> PS, 
DW 
<PS, 
SI < 
PS , 
t = 2.02, P = 0.047 
t = -1.88, P = 0.064 
t = -3.55 P = 0.0006 
Month*Site 
F= 3.23 
P=0.026 
ns 
ns 
F=8.86 
P=0.0001 
ns 
ns 
SI: Dec > Jan, t 
= 2.61, P = 0.011 
SI: Dec > Jan, t 
= 2.83, P = 0.0058 
EH: Dec < Jan, t 
= -2.78, P = 0.0078 
PS: 
Dec < Jan, t = 
-4.23, P = 0.0001 
way (£=6.23, P=0.0001) and Sinclair Inlet sole (£=4.33, 
P=0.0001 ) had significantly higher age-specific fecun- 
dity than Port Susan reference fish (see Fig. 2B). 
Mean age-specific fecundity in sole from the four sam- 
pling sites is shown in Table 3. Similarly, results of 
multiple regression analysis indicated that intersite 
differences in egg weight were only partially ex- 
plained by variation in the degree of gonadal devel- 
opment (i.e. GSI) or sampling time. Even after ad- 
justing for these factors, Duwamish Waterway fish 
exhibited significantly lower egg weight (£=-4.070; 
P=0.0001) than comparable fish from the other sites 
(Fig. 2C). 
Intersite differences in biological and 
chemical factors 
Indicators of contaminant exposure Mean levels 
(± SE) of biliary FAC’s in English sole from Port Su- 
san, Sinclair Inlet, the Duwamish Waterway, and 
Eagle Harbor are shown in Fig. 3A; mean concentra- 
tions of PCB’s (± SE) in liver and ovary tissue are 
shown in Fig. 3B. English sole from Eagle Harbor 
had significantly higher biliary FAC-BaP levels than 
fish from any of the other sampling sites, including 
the Duwamish Waterway, and significantly higher 
FAC-NPH levels than fish from either Port Susan or 
Sinclair Inlet. Duwamish Waterway fish had signifi- 
cantly higher biliary FAC-BaP and FAC-NPH levels 
than Port Susan or Sinclair Inlet fish. No significant 
differences were found between biliary FAC concen- 
trations in Port Susan and Sinclair Inlet fish. 
Duwamish Waterway fish had significantly higher 
liver PCB concentrations than fish from any of the 
other sampling sites and significantly higher ova- 
rian PCB concentrations than fish from either Port 
Susan or Eagle Harbor. Concentrations of PCB’s in 
liver and ovary tissues of fish from Sinclair Inlet, 
although not as high as those observed in Duwamish 
fish, were significantly elevated in comparison with 
those found in Port Susan and Eagle Harbor fish. 
Tissue PCB concentrations in Port Susan and Eagle 
Harbor fish were not statistically different. 
Size and nutritional status Mean values (± SE) of 
length, age, condition factor, HSI, plasma triglyceride 
levels, and plasma glucose levels for sole collected 
from the four sampling sites are shown in Table 4. 
Port Susan fish were significantly smaller (in length) 
and Sinclair Inlet fish significantly larger than ani- 
