Reproductive success of herring gulls breeding on Lake Superior

Conference · Sat Dec 31 04:00:00 EST 1994

OSTI ID:37376

Shutt, J L ^[1]

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1. Canadian Wildlife Service, Hull, Quebec (Canada)

Herring gulls breed in the vicinity of three pulp mills located on the north shore of Lake Superior. The impacts of exposure to effluents produced by these mills on various aspects of the reproductive biology of this species have been monitored since 1992. Reproductive success at these sites has been either zero or below the level necessary to maintain a stable population. Levels of dioxins and furans in the eggs and tissues of herring gulls did not show any consistent trends between the exposed and control sites and were generally low. Additionally, TCDD TEQs calculated for the same colonies, with the inclusion of several non ortho-substituted PCBs, were well below levels thought to result in reproductive impairment of herring gulls. However, plasma and liver concentrations of retinol were depressed and variable at several colonies, indicating potential diet differences between the study sites. Further determination of food types consumed at the control and exposed sites revealed that fish, the traditional diet of this species, was a small or insignificant component of the diet. Food type was also correlated with contaminant burden and reproductive output. Previously collected data as well as current results will be discussed.

• OSTI ID: 37376
• Report Number(s): CONF-9410273--
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
56 BIOLOGY AND MEDICINE
APPLIED STUDIES
BIRDS
CHEMICAL EFFLUENTS
DIOXIN
FURANS
INDUSTRIAL WASTES
LAKE SUPERIOR
POLYCHLORINATED BIPHENYLS
SENSITIVITY
TOXICITY
WATER POLLUTION