Gold-lined sea bream (Rhabdosargus sarba) were intraperitoneally injected with 35 mg/kg benzo[a]pyrene (in DMSO), with fish administered DMSO as the solvent control. Fish were sacrificed 3 days post injection and their livers dissected for the analysis of adenosine triphosphates (ATPase), glutathione-S-transferase (GST), DNA adducts and ethyoxyresorufin-O-deethylase (EROD). Exposure to B[a]P resulted in reduced ATPase activity, elevated GST activity and DNA adduct level, but no apparent change in EROD activity.