PH25 Wildlife Ecotoxicology II
Exhibit Hall
8:00 AM - Thursday
(PH292) Temporal trends in mercury levels in Northern Gannet eggs.
Champoux, L.1, Chapdelaine, G.1, Rail, J.-F.1, 1 Canadian Wildlife Service, Environment Canada, Sainte-Foy, Québec, Canada
ABSTRACT- This study was undertaken to determine if a temporal trend was present in mercury levels in Northern gannet Morus bassanus eggs from Bonaventure Island, Gulf of St.Lawrence (Quebec, Canada). This colony has been monitored since a long time as a bioindicator of health and organochlorine contamination of this important marine ecosystem. This population has been dramatically affected in the past from the DDT contamination through eggshell thinning, but has successfully recovered since. Recent studies indicate an increase of mercury in the environment and its accumulation in aquatic food webs. Trends in mercury levels in various bird species from various ecosystems have been documented and suggest that similar studies should be conducted in more species. Retrospective analysis of mercury were done in gannet eggs collected between 1969 and 1999 and archived in the specimen bank of the National Wildlife Research Centre. Results will be compared with other species and locations and contribute to the understanding of mercury trends in ecosystems.
Key words: Northern gannet, Mercury, Morus bassanus , Gulf of St.Lawrence