Dear MARMAM members, We are pleased to announce our novel article about the controversy pesticide, Chlordecone, in the marine mammals of the French Antilles. Paula Méndez-Fernandez, Jeremy J. Kiszka, Michael R. Heithaus, Andria Beal, Gaëlle Vandersarren, Florence Caurant, Jérôme Spitz, Satie Taniguchi, Rosalinda C. Montone (2018) From banana fields to the deep blue: Assessment of chlordecone contamination of oceanic cetaceans in the eastern Caribbean. Mar Pollut Bull 137: 56-60 Abstract In the French West Indies (Caribbean), the insecticide<https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/earth-and-planetary-sciences/insecticide> Chlordecone<https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/agricultural-and-biological-sciences/kepone> (CLD) has been extensively used to reduce banana weevil<https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/agricultural-and-biological-sciences/weevil> (Cosmopolites<https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/agricultural-and-biological-sciences/cosmopolites> sordidus) infestations in banana plantations<https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/agricultural-and-biological-sciences/plantation>. Previous studies have shown high CLD concentrations in freshwater and coastal communities of the region. CLD concentrations, however, have not yet been assessed in marine top predators. We investigated CLD concentrations in cetacean<https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/earth-and-planetary-sciences/cetacean> blubber tissues from Guadeloupe, including Physeter macrocephalus, Lagenodelphis hosei, Stenella<https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/agricultural-and-biological-sciences/stenella> attenuata and Pseudorca crassidens. Chlordecone was detected in all blubber samples analysed, with the exception of four P. macrocephalus. Concentrations (range: 1 to 329 ng·g−1of lipid<https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/earth-and-planetary-sciences/lipid> weight) were, however, lower than those found in species from fresh and brackish water<https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/earth-and-planetary-sciences/brackish-water>. Ecological factors<https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/earth-and-planetary-sciences/ecological-factor> (open ocean habitat), CLD kinetics, and cetacean metabolism (high or specific enzymatic activity) might explain low concentrations found in cetacean blubber. Future analyses that include internal organ sampling would help to confirm CLD levels observed in this study.
The following link provides 50 days' free access to the paper: https://authors.elsevier.com/a/1Xr1-,ashq8PC Best regards Paula Méndez-Fernandez Observatoire Pelagis (http://observatoire-pelagis.cnrs.fr)
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