The harbor seal and the harbor porpoise from the North Sea: review of their ecotoxicological status based on stranded and free-ranging individuals and potential threaths to the population

The harbor seal (Phoca vitulina) and the harbor porpoise (Phocoena phocoena) from the North Sea have experienced major fluctuations these last decades due to habitat loss, prey fluctuation and pollution of the marine environment. Recently, development of monitoring programs and non-invasive sampling techniques, including seal catches in Germany allowed blood sampling together with measurements of blubber thickness, body mass, sex and body length. This approach is complementary to the study of stranded and by-caught individuals sampled during necropsies. Essential (Se, Zn, Cu, Fe) and non-essential elements (T-Hg, MeHg, Cd, Pb), perfluorinated organochemicals (PFCs) polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) were measured in blubber and in blood (for selected compounds) of stranded, by-caught and free-ranging individuals from Belgian and German coasts. In contrast to Cd and Pb, hepatic T-Hg can reach concentrations as high as 2.1 μg.g-1 dry weight but depended on several factors including position in the trophic chain (inferred from δ13C and δ15N values), age group and the body mass. This level has been shown to generate in vitro toxicity on harbor seal lymphocytes. Organic compound analysis (PFCs, PCBs, PBDEs) revealed widespread dispersion of contaminants in the marine environment with higher concentrations in seals compared to porpoises in agreement with the higher trophic position of the harbor seal. However, metabolization of these compounds differed between the two species, as revealed by the higher contribution of the persistent BDE-47 and lower chlorinated and non-persistent congeners (e.g. CB 52, CB95) in tissues of harbor porpoises. T-Hg, PFCs, PCBs and PBDEs were detected in calves confirming maternal transfer to offspring. These pollutants are strongly suspected to affect the immune and endocrine systems as well as vitamin A metabolism and this raises concern about exposure-related health effects, especially in younger individuals.