Understanding the accumulation features of POPs in squid from the offshore waters of southeast Korea

In this study we investigated the current contamination status and accumulation features of POPs in Korean offshore waters using Japanese common squid as a biomonitoring organism. Concentrations of organochlorine compounds (OCs), such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), dichlorodiphenyl trichloroethane and its metabolites (DDTs), chlordane compounds (CHLs), and hexachlorocyclohexanes (HCHs) were determined in different organs of squid of both sexes and of various sizes caught in the offshore waters of southeast Korea in July and October, 2005. Most of the compounds showed their highest concentrations in liver among the organs analyzed. The concentrations of PCBs, DDTs, CHLs and HCHs in liver were in the ranges of 116–206 ng/g (mean: 146), 158–325 ng/g (238), 20.6–37.3 ng/g (28.2), and 1.68–12.3 ng/g (7.79) on a dry weight basis, respectively. There was no relationship between squid size and OC concentrations, while the levels of all of the compounds were significantly correlated with lipid content. Due to its relatively high lipid content, the concentration of OCs in squid liver was higher than other organs of the squid. Therefore, OCs in female squid may be redistributed from the liver to the gonad. These results showed that male squid liver is a useful organ for monitoring OCs in Korean offshore waters, regardless of its size.