
Organochlorine Residues in Eggs 
of Alaskan Seabirds 
by 
Harry M. Ohlendorf! 
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 
Patuxent Wildlife Research Center 
Laurel, Maryland 20708 
James C. Bartonek?, George J. Divoky3 
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 
Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center 
Jamestown, North Dakota 58401 
Erwin E. Klaas* and Alexander J. Krynitsky 
Patuxent Wildlife Research Center 
Abstract 
One egg from each of 440 clutches of eggs of 19 species of Alaskan seabirds collected in 1973-76 was 
analyzed for organochlorine residues. All eggs contained DDE; 98.9% contained PCB's; 84.3%, oxy- 
chlordane; and 82.7%, HCB. Endrin was found in only one egg, but DDD, DDT, dieldrin, heptachlor 
epoxide, mirex, cis-chlordane (or trans-nonachlor), cis-nonachlor, and toxaphene each occurred in at 
least 22% of the samples. 
Concentrations of organochlorines in the samples were generally low. Mean concentrations of eight 
compounds were highest in eggs of glaucous-winged gulls (Larus glaucescens) from three sites: DDE 
(5.16 ppm, wet weight), dieldrin (0.214 ppm), oxychlordane (0.251 ppm), and PCB's (3.55 ppm) in eggs 
from Bogoslof Island; heptachlor epoxide (0.037 ppm), cis-chlordane (0.075 ppm), and HCB 
(0.188 ppm) in eggs from Buldir Island; and cis-nonachlor (0.026 ppm) in eggs from the Semidi Islands. 
Highest concentrations of DDD (0.157 ppm), DDT (0.140 ppm), and toxaphene (0.101 ppm) were in 
eggs of fork-tailed storm-petrel (Oceanodroma furcata) from Buldir Island, and the highest concentra- 
tion of mirex (0.044 ppm) was in fork-tailed storm-petrel eggs from the Barren Islands. 
Both frequency of occurrence and concentration of residues in the eggs differed geographically and by 
species, apparently reflecting non-uniform distribution of organochlorines in the environment, dissimi- 
lar feeding habits and migration patterns of the species, or metabolic differences among the species. 
The overall frequency of residue occurrence was highest in eggs from the Pribilof Islands, but only 
three species were represented in the samples collected there. Detectable residues also were more fre- 
quent in eggs from the Gulf of Alaska colonies than elsewhere, and the lowest frequency was in eggs 
from nesting colonies on or near the Seward Peninsula. Regionally, concentrations of DDE and PCB’s 
were usually higher than average in eggs from the Gulf of Alaska and lower than average in eggs from 
the Aleutian Islands and Bristol Bay. However, within some species there were exceptions to this general 
pattern, and mean concentrations of most chemicals differed from one site to another within the same 
region. 
Among eggs of species collected in two or more regions, residue frequencies were highest in those of 
the fork-tailed storm-petrel, tufted puffin (Lunda cirrhata), horned puffin (Fratercula corniculata), 
pelagic cormorant (Phalacrocorax pelagicus), and northern fulmar (Fulmarus glacialis), and lowest in 
those of common murre (Uria aalge), black-legged kittiwake (Rissa tridactyla), double-crested cor- 
morant (Phalacrocorax auritus), and thick-billed murre (Uria lomvia). 
On a regional basis, mean concentrations of DDE and PCB’s varied significantly among species, but 
there were few consistent patterns of species differences, except that levels of DDE were always lowest 
in black-legged kittiwakes and concentrations of PCB’s were usually lowest in murres. Also, concentra- 
tions of both chemicals (except PCB’s in the Gulf of Alaska) were usually higher in northern fulmars 
than in other species, and the highest concentrations of both DDE and PCB’s found in this study were in 
glaucous-winged gulls in the Aleutian Islands. 
‘Present address: Pacific Coast Field Station, Patuxent Wildlife 3Present address: Point Reyes Bird Observatory, 4990 Shoreline 
Research Center, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Wildlife and Highway, Stinson Beach, CA 94970. 
: aay areh Unit: 
Fisheries Biology, University of California, Davis, CA 95616. 4Present address: Iowa cole een seus Research Uni 
*Present address: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 500 N.E. Mult- Iowa State University, Ames, : 
nomah Street, Portland, OR 97232. 1 
