A Study to Characterize and Source Hydrocarbon Contamination of Sediments and Scallops in the Port au Port Bay, NL

We worked with the local fish harvesters to locate and sample three types of sites: 1) the suspected source of petroleum hydrocarbon contamination in the bay (a site of former petroleum exploration wells where an oily substance is discharging into the bay), 2) fishing grounds in the bay, and 3) a non-contaminated site in the adjacent bay. [...] The need for further research into the potential organic causes of scallop decline is demonstrated by the absence of scallops in 2014 and 2015 and the lack of inorganic contaminants in the water of the bay. [...] Melissa took notes and samples from: 1) the suspected source of petroleum hydrocarbon contamination in the bay, 2) the fishing grounds in the Port au Port Bay, and 3) a non-contaminated site in St. [...] The lack of live scallops confirmed the continued decline of the scallops in the bay and the need for further research into the potential causes of this decline. [...] The black line represents the PAHs that were extracted using the Soxhlet extraction method, the red line represents the PAHs that were extracted using the ASE method, and the blue line represents the PAHs that were extracted using the optimized ASE method.