In this study, we assessed the bioaccumulation of oil-derived and man-made pollutants in deep-sea epibenthic megafauna from the northern Gulf of Mexico. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (or PAHs) were measured as representatives of oil and emission related pollution. Whereas, polychlorinated biphenyls (or PCBs) were measured as representatives of man-made industrial chemicals. Our results showed overall comparable levels for all pollutants in four separate epibenthic deep-sea megafauna, which included: Actinaria (sea anemones), Pennatulacea (sea pens), Holothuroidea (sea cucumbers), and Crinoidea (sea lilies). The analysis of PAH levels showed greater accumulation for high molecular weight compounds that are also highly lipophilic. However, the analysis of PCBs showed that the levels of two congeners (PCBs 101 and 138) were consistently higher than the rest of the PCBs measured. Our results shed light on a knowledge-gap that exists on assessing the extent to which anthropogenic pollutants may impact the deep-sea environment
