Toxins in Osprey Eggs an indicator of contaminants in the Fraser and Columbia River basins

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Table 1. TEQs  (ppt) of industrial organochlorines in Osprey Eggs upstream and downstream of pulp mills in the Fraser and Columbia River basins. N column refers to sample size. Data are from L. Wilson, Canadian Wildlife Service, Environment Canada, Pacific and Yukon Region, 2002.

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Table 2. DDE levels expressed as geometric means with range from Osprey eggs collected in the Fraser and Columbia River basins from 1991 to 2001. Data are from L. Wilson, 2003, Environment Canada, Canadian Wildlife Service, Delta, British Columbia, Elliott et al. 2002 and Elliott et al. 2000. Note that d/s and u/s denote downstream and upstream respectively and that N is the sample size.

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Table 3. Levels of organochlorine pesticides chlordane and dieldrin in Osprey eggs from the Fraser and Columbia River basins from 1991 to 1997. The residue levels are geometric means and are from Elliott et al. 1999. ND denotes below detection. Chlordane levels are the sum of several chlordane-related compounds.

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Table 4. Total toxaphene in plasma of osprey chicks from the Fraser and Columbia River basins in British Columbia and from Jasper National Park in Alberta, 1999-2001. Data are from Elliott et al. 2002 and ND denotes below detection.

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Table 5. Mean concentrations of total mercury (mg/kg dry weight) in eggs of ospreys collected from the Fraser and Columbia River basins in British Columbia, expressed as geometric means with range. Note that d/s and u/s denote downstream and upstream respectively and that N is the sample size.

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Table 6 . TEQs (ng/kg wet weight) for Tree Swallow whole body homogenates upstream and downstream of Kamloops and Prince George pulp mills in 1994. Data is from Harris and Elliott 2000. Note that N is the sample size and prefers to pooled samples.

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Table 7 . Estimated daily discharge of TCDD and TCDF in final effluent from BC Fraser River Basin pulp and paper mills. Data are from G. Bannister, Environmental Protection Branch, Environment Canada, Pacific and Yukon Region, 1999.

* Loading value at January each year.

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Long Range Atmospheric Dispersal of Contaminants

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Satellite telemetry of ospreys tagged in BC showing migration routes to wintering sites on the Pacific Coast of Mexico and in Central and South America.

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Radio Telemetry

Twenty-nine transmitters were attached to Ospreys in the Pacific Northwest (13 from BC). Most wintered in Mexico and southern Texas, with one bird from BC wintering in each of Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Panama and Venezuela. Of the Ospreys that wintered in Mexico, there was a general trend for most to winter in one of two areas: 31% wintered along the Mexican Gulf coast, especially the mangrove wetlands of Veracruz and Tabasco while 35% wintered in mangroves along the northwest coast in the states of Sinaloa, Nayarit and Jalisco.

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References used for this indicator:

• Blais, J.M., D.W. Schindler, D.C. Muir, D.B. Donald and B. Rosenberg. 1998. Accumulation of persistent organochlorines in mountains of western Canada. Nature, 395: 585-588.
• Donald, D., R. Bailey, R. Crosley, D. Muir, P. Shaw and J. Syrgiannis. 1993. Polychlorinated biphenyls and organochlorine pesticides in the aquatic environment along the continental divide region of Alberta and British Columbia. Environment Canada, Western and Northern Region, Water Quality Branch, Regina, SK, Canada. 98 pp.
• Elliott, J., D.P. Shaw, S. Lee, M. Wayland, L. Wilson and D. Muir. Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) in Fish and Osprey from High Elevations. Mountain Science Highlights, Centre for Alpine Studies, UBC Forestry (see http://www.forestry.ubc.ca/alpine/highlights/index.htm).
• Elliott, J., D.P. Shaw and D. Muir. 2002. Factors influencing domestic and international sources of chlorinated hydrocarbons to fish and ospreys in British Columbia. Toxic Substance research Initiative, Final Report, TSRI #224. Vancouver, BC (unpublished).
• Elliott, J.E., L.K. Wilson, C.J. Henny, S.F. Trudeau, F.A. Leighton, S.W. Kennedy and K.M. Cheng. 2001. Assessment of biological effects of chlorinated hydrocarbons in osprey chicks. Environ. Toxicol. Chem. 20: 866-879.
• Elliott, J., M.M. Machmer, L.K. Wilson and C.J. Henny. 2000. Contaminants in ospreys from the Pacific Northwest: II. Organochlorine pesticides, polychlorinated biphenyls and mercury, 1991-1997. Archiv. Environ. Contan. Toxicol. 38:93-106.
• Elliott, J.E., M. Machmer, C.J. Henny, L.K. Wilson and R.J. Norstrom. 1998. Contaminants in Ospreys from the Pacific Northwest: I. Trends and patterns in polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans contaminants in eggs and plasma. Archiv. Environ. Contan. Toxicol. 35: 620-631.
• Evers, D.C., J.D. Kaplan, M.W. Meyer, P.S. Reaman, W.E. Brasselton, A. Major, N. Burgess and A.M. Scheuhammer. 1998. Geographic trend in mercury measured in common loon feathers and blood. Environ. Toxicol. Chem. 17: 173-183.
• Harding, L., M.L. Harris and J.E. Elliott. 1998. Heavy and trace metals in wild mink (Mustela vison) and river otter (Lutra canadensis) captured on rivers receiving metals discharges. Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology. 61: 600-607.
• Harris, M.L and J.E. Elliott. 2000. Reproductive success and chlorinated hydrocarbon contamination in tree swallows (Tachycineta bicolor) nesting along rivers receiving pulp and paper mill effluent discharges. Env. Pollut. 110: 307-320.
• Hughes, K.D., P.J. Ewins and K.E. Clark 1997. A comparison of mercury levels in feathers and eggs of osprey (Pandion haliaetus) in the North American Great Lakes. Archiv. Environ. Contam. Toxicol. 33: 441-452.
• Kidd, K.A., D.W. Schindler, D.C.G. Muir, W.L. Lockhart and R.H. Hesslein. 1995. High concentrations of toxaphene in fishes from subarctic lake. Science, 269: 240-242.
• Krümmel, E.M., R.W. Macdonald, L.E. Kimpe, I. Gregory-Eaves, M.J. Demers, J.P. Smol, B. Finney and J.M. Blais. 2003. Delivery of pollutants by spawning salmon. Nature 425: 255-256.
• Lichota, G.B., M. McAdie and P.S. Ross. 2003. Endangered Vancouver Island marmots (Marmota vancouverensis): sentinels of atmospherically delivered contaminants to British Columbia, Canada. Environmental Toxicology & Chemistry (in prep).
• Macdonald, R.W., D.P. Shaw and C.B.J. Gray 1998. Contaminants in lake sediments and fish. In: C. Gray and T. Tuominen, eds. Health of the Fraser River Aquatic Ecosystem: A Synthesis of Research Conducted Under the Fraser River Action Plan. Environment Canada, Vancouver, B.C. DOE FRAP 1998-11.
• Poole, A.F. 1989. Ospreys: A natural and unnatural history. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, New York.
• Wiemeyer, S.N., C.M. Bunck and A.J. Krynitsky. 1988. Organochlorine pesticides, polychlorinated biphenyls and mercury in osprey eggs - 1970-79 and their relationships to shell thinning and productivity. Arch. Environ. Contam. Toxicol. 17:767-787.

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