Assessment of the impact of human activities on Trematomus bernacchii (a representative of the Antarctic fauna) by analysis of pollutants in bile and the amount of induction of a gene that produces a detoxifying enzyme

Individual fish were collected from two sites; Winterquarters Bay next to McMurdo Station and Backdoor Bay, Cape Royds next to a site of special scientific interest and thus very little impact.

Tissue levels of hydrocarbon pollutants (Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAH) found in products such as diesel fuel) were measured from samples of bile because when animals are exposed to pollutants the body transfers the toxins to the bile before discharge. Blood samples and morphometric data were collected before dissection and the removal of the gonads and liver for histological analysis and RNA extraction during dissection.