R5 PM Avian Sentinels of Environmental Contamination
Thursday, 17 November 2005: 1:50 PM - 5:30 PM in 321-323

(RAT-1117-055744) Ospreys as Sentinels of Environmental Contamination in the Mid-Atlantic Region of the United States.

Rattner, Barnett¹, Golden, Nancy², Toschik, Pamela³, McGowan, Peter⁴, ¹ USGS-Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, Beltsville, MD, USA² U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Arlington, VA, USA³ National Science Foundation, Arlington, VA, USA⁴ Chesapeake Bay Field Office, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Annapolis, MD, USA

ABSTRACT- Chesapeake and Delaware Bays are neighboring estuaries along the mid-Atlantic coast that are heavily affected by agriculture, industry and development. Contaminant exposure and reproductive success were studied in ospreys (Pandion haliaetus) nesting in these estuaries in 2000-2002 using the sample egg technique and nestling feathers. Detection frequency and concentrations of organochlorine pesticides, PCBs, polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), and perfluorinated compounds in eggs were greater in Chesapeake regions of concern (Anacostia and Elizabeth Rivers, Baltimore Harbor) and in northern Delaware Bay/River (Chesapeake & Delaware Canal to Trenton, NJ) compared to reference sites (South, West and Rhode Rivers. MD; Inland Bays, DE). In the most industrialized regions of both Bays, contaminant concentrations in eggs were remarkably similar, although p,p'-DDE and dieldrin levels were greatest in the Delaware Bay. Notably, p,p'-DDE values in eggs collected from nests near the Anacostia River of Chesapeake Bay, and from most nests in northern Delaware Bay, fell within the range associated with 10% eggshell thinning; productivity (fledglings/nest) tended to be lower in these regions. Mercury levels in eggs were similar in both estuaries and below known effect thresholds. North-south gradients were apparent for total PCBs and PBDEs concentrations in eggs over a 200 km stretch in Delaware Bay (highest in the urbanized north), however, no such gradients were detected in the smaller tributary study areas (20-32 km length) of the Chesapeake. Nestling feathers from some Chesapeake regions of concern and the northern segment of Delaware Bay had elevated concentrations of several metals (e.g., Al, Hg, Mn, Mo, Pb, V) compared to samples from reference sites, and Hg, Ni, and Pb levels were greatest in Delaware Bay. In comparison to findings from black-crowned night-heron (Nycticorax nycticorax) studies in Chesapeake and Delaware Bays, ospreys tend to accumulate greater quantities of organochlorines and metals, and may be a more sensitive indicator of environmental contamination.

Key words: Ospreys, Sentinels, Chesapeake Bay, Delaware Bay