PT13 Aquatic Ecotoxicology I
Exhibit Hall
8:00 AM - Tuesday
(PT208) Intersex in Roes Abalone.
GAGNON, M1, 1 Department of Environmental Biology, Curtin University, Perth, Western Australia, Australia
ABSTRACT- The incidence of intersex, or masculinization of the female gonadal tissue, has been measured in the Roes Abalone (Haliotis roei) collected off the West Australian Coast. Five sites were selected over a 600 km section, and 125 female abalone were dissected and their ovarian tissue examined histologically for the presence of testicular tissue. The incidence of intersex varied between 0% (Bunker Bay) and 50% (Geraldton), and appear to be related to the presence of boating activities. Although intersex does not affect the commercial quality of Roes abalone, the impaired reproductive organs may lead to reduced reproductive success and eventually, population decline.
Key words: abalone, intersex, endocrine disruption, tributyltin