Association of bald eagle reproductive impairment with elevated organochlorine exposure in Green Bay, Lake Michigan
- Fish and Wildlife Service, Green Bay, WI (United States)
- Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, Monona, WI (United States)
- Fish and Wildlife Service, East Lansing, MI (United States)
- Eagle Environmental Inc., Haslett, MI (United States)
- Univ. of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN (United States). Dept. of Fisheries and Wildlife
Bald eagles have recently recolonized the shores of the upper Great Lakes following near-extirpation in the DDT-era. However, bald eagles nesting along the shore of Green Bay, Lake Michigan, currently have reproductive rates which are much lower than those of eagles nesting in inland reference areas in the Great Lakes Basin. Productivity of Green Bay eagles averaged only 0.39 young per occupied territory (5-year average; 1990--1994), compared to 1.13 young per occupied territory in inland Wisconsin, and 0.90 young per occupied territory on the Lake Superior shore in Wisconsin. Eaglet plasma samples collected at reference nests in inland Wisconsin averaged 34 ppb total PCBs and 4 ppb p,p{prime}-DDE (geometric mean, n = 31). Eaglets on Green Bay had contaminant loads which were 7--19 times greater (253 ppb total PCBs and 74 ppb DDE, n = 6), while eaglets on Lake Superior had only 3--5x greater contaminant loads (114 ppb total PCBs and 21 ppb DDE, n = 31). Addled eggs collected in Green Bay nests from 1986--1992 averaged 35 ppm total PCBs and 10 ppm DDE, (n = 13 eggs in 8 nest-attempts), and those collected on the south shore of Lake Superior averaged 11 ppm total PCBs and 3 ppm DDE (n = 6, 1986--1993). Levels of contaminants in contemporary Green Bay eagle eggs exceed those levels associated with normal reproduction, and approach or exceed those levels associated with near-total reproductive failure, suggesting that organochlorine contaminants may impair reproduction in Green Bay eagles.
- OSTI ID:
- 218481
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-9511137-; ISBN 1-880611-03-1; TRN: IM9619%%202
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: 2. Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC) world conference, Vancouver (Canada), 5-9 Nov 1995; Other Information: PBD: 1995; Related Information: Is Part Of Second SETAC world congress (16. annual meeting): Abstract book. Global environmental protection: Science, politics, and common sense; PB: 378 p.
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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