Increasing oil and gas exploration, production, and transport
activities present a risk of accidental oil spills with potential consequences
for marine ecosystems. This environmental threat has
rarely been studied in Arctic areas, and it is important to establish
tolerance limits and analyze possible harmful effects of hydrocarbons
on key marine organisms in these waters. Fish eggs and
larvae are of particular concern as they are regarded as sensitive
life stages, in part because they are not able to avoid polluted
areas (Rice, 1985). Investigations carried out in Alaska after the
1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill revealed that Pacific herring (Clupea
pallasi) larvae hatching from adhesive demersal eggs at spawning
sites affected by the spill had significantly higher frequencies
of morphological deformities and cytogenetic abnormalities than
those originating from unaffected sites (Hose et al., 1996). Elevated