The whale shark (Rhincodon typus) is a filter-feeding organism that can be considered a sentinel species, and Bahía de los Ángeles (BLA) in the Gulf of California is an important sighting site for these elasmobranchs. This filter-feeding organism can be considered a pollutant sampler from the marine environment. Persistent organic pollutants are toxic compounds with high mobility and environmental persistence, bioaccumulation and trophic transfer. Among these are polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and organochlorine pesticides (OCPs). The present work aimed to determine concentrations of PAHs and OCPs in whale shark skin biopsies, collected in 2021 at BLA. Mean detected levels of PAHs and OCPs were 279.4 ng/g dw (dry weight) and 1478.1 ng/g dw, respectively. Analysis of similarities between the ordered sizes (4.2–7.6 m) and the concentrations of PAHs and OCPs indicated no significant differences. Individual PAHs detected indicate pyrogenic and petrogenic sources; the presence of pesticides at levels higher than those of hydrocarbons may be related to agricultural activity in the areas surrounding the Baja California peninsula. This study is the first report of PAH levels in R. typus for the Gulf of California and Mexico.

鲸鲨 ( Rhincodontypus ) 是一种滤食性生物，可被视为哨兵物种，加利福尼亚湾的巴伊亚德洛斯安赫莱斯 (BLA) 是这些软骨鱼的重要观赏地点。这种滤食性生物可以被认为是海洋环境中的污染物采样器。持久性有机污染物是具有高流动性和环境持久性、生物累积性和营养转移性的有毒化合物。其中包括多环芳烃（PAH）和有机氯农药（OCP）。目前的工作旨在确定 2021 年在 BLA 收集的鲸鲨皮肤活检中 PAH 和 OCP 的浓度。PAH 和 OCP 的平均检测水平分别为 279.4 ng/g dw（干重）和 1478.1 ng/g dw。对有序尺寸 (4.2–7.6 m) 以及 PAH 和 OCP 浓度之间的相似性分析表明没有显着差异。检测到的个别多环芳烃表明热成源和石成源；农药含量高于碳氢化合物的含量可能与下加利福尼亚半岛周边地区的农业活动有关。这项研究是关于加利福尼亚湾和墨西哥斑鲛鱼多环芳烃水平的第一份报告。