contaminant levels in herring gull eggs from the great lakes and new york harbor (swinburne island),...
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Contaminant Levels in Herring Gull eggs from the Great Lakes
and New York Harbor (Swinburne Island), 2009
D.V. Chip WeselohCanadian Wildlife Service - Ontario
www.ec.gc.ca
Harbor Herons and Waterbirds of Greater NY/NJ Harbor Working Group
12-13 January 2011Staten Island, NY
Susan B. ElbinNew York City Audubon
David J. MooreCanadian Wildlife Service - Ontario
Objective
To compare and rank contaminant concentrations in
Herring Gull eggs from Swinburne Island, NYC Harbour,
with those from 14 well-distributed sites in the Great
Lakes for 2009.
Annually Monitored Colonies
N
1,200 km
1
2
3
4
55
66
77
9
8
12
10
13
11
14
Lake Superior
Lake Michigan
Lake Huron
Lake Erie
Lake Ontario
15
N
1. Granite I.2. Agawa Rks.3. Big Sister I.4. Gull I. 5. Channel-Shelter I.6. Double I.7. Chantry I.Chantry I.
8. Fighting I.
9. Middle I.
10. Port Colborne
11. Niagara R.
12. Hamilton Hrbr.
13. Toronto Hrbr.
14. Snake I.
15. Strachan I.
Egg collections
13 eggs (1 per complete clutch) from each site are collected in late April/early May.
At Swinburne I., they wereCollected in late May.
Egg Composition – Swinburne vs Great Lakes
6
7
8
9
Agawa
(LS)
Big S
iste
r (LM
)
Swinburn
(NYH)
Granite
(LS)
Gull (L
M)
Port. C
olborn
e (L
E)
Double (L
H)
Channel
-Shel
ter (
LH)
Snake
(LO)
Unnamed
(NR)
Hamilt
on Hrb
r (LO)
Chantry
(LH)
Mid
dle (L
E)
Strach
an (S
LR)
Toronto
Hrb
r (LO)
75
76
77
78
Chantry
(LH)
Hamilt
on Hrb
r (LO)
Strach
an (S
LR)
Port. C
olborn
e (L
E)
Mid
dle (L
E)
Snake
(LO)
Gull (L
M)
Agawa
(LS)
Channel
-Shel
ter (
LH)
Toronto
Hrb
r (LO)
Double (L
H)
Granite
(LS)
Swinburn
(NYH)
Unnamed
(NR)
Big S
iste
r (LM
)
% L
ipid
% M
ois
ture
Eggs from Swinburne I. were among the 7 most contaminated for these compounds
0
4
8
12
Chantry
(LH)
Swinburn
(NYH)
Hamilt
on Hrb
r (LO)
Toronto
Hrb
r (LO)
Channel
-Shel
ter (
LH)
Agawa
(LS)
Mid
dle (L
E)
Port. C
olborn
e (L
E)
Unnamed
(NR)
Big S
iste
r (LM
)
Double (L
H)
Granite
(LS)
Gull (L
M)
Snake
(LO)
Strach
an (S
LR)0
200
400
600
800
Toronto
Hrb
r (LO)
Agawa
(LS)
Chantry
(LH)
Gull (L
M)
Swinburn
(NYH)
Big S
iste
r (LM
)
Hamilt
on Hrb
r (LO)
Channel
-Shel
ter (
LH)
Granite
(LS)
Snake
(LO)
Mid
dle (L
E)
Port. C
olborn
e (L
E)
Strach
an (S
LR)
Double (L
H)
Unnamed
(NR)
0
5
10
15
20
Chantry
(LH)
Snake
(LO)
Mid
dle (L
E)
Toronto
Hrb
r (LO)
Strach
an (S
LR)
Hamilt
on Hrb
r (LO)
Swinburn
(NYH)
Port. C
olborn
e (L
E)
Double (L
H)
Unnamed
(NR)
Granite
(LS)
Agawa
(LS)
Channel
-Shel
ter (
LH)
Gull (L
M)
Big S
iste
r (LM
) 0
0.005
0.010
0.015
Strach
an (S
LR)
Mid
dle (L
E)
Chantry
(LH)
Toronto
Hrb
r (LO)
Swinburn
(NYH)
Gull (L
M)
Big S
iste
r (LM
)
Granite
(LS)
Double (L
H)
Agawa
(LS)
Unnamed
(NR)
Port. C
olborn
e (L
E)
Channel
-Shel
ter (
LH)
Hamilt
on Hrb
r (LO)
Snake
(LO)
TCBs sum BDEs
TCDD TCPM
ng
/g,
we
t w
eig
ht
(pp
b)
ng
/g,
we
t w
eig
ht
(pp
b)
ρg
/g,
we
t w
eig
ht
(pp
t)
µg
/g,
we
t w
eig
ht
(pp
m)
Site
nd nd nd
Eggs from Swinburne I. were the most contaminated for Dieldrin, a banned pesticide
0
0.05
0.10
0.15
Swinburn
(NYH)
Toronto
Hrb
r (LO)
Gull (L
M)
Mid
dle (L
E)
Big S
iste
r (LM
)
Chantry
(LH)
Strach
an (S
LR)
Agawa
(LS)
Granite
(LS)
Double (L
H)
Unnamed
(NR)
Channel
-Shel
ter (
LH)
Hamilt
on Hrb
r (LO)
Port. C
olborn
e (L
E)
Snake
(LO)
Dieldrin
µg
/g,
wet
wei
gh
t (p
pm
)
nd nd nd nd
Site
Eggs from Swinburne I. were among the 4 least contaminated for these compounds
0
0.4
0.8
1.2
Toronto
Hrb
r (LO)
Big S
iste
r (LM
)
Snake
(LO)
Mid
dle (L
E)
Gull (L
M)
Hamilt
on Hrb
r (LO)
Chantry
(LH)
Strach
an (S
LR)
Granite
(LS)
Port. C
olborn
e (L
E)
Unnamed
(NR)
Agawa
(LS)
Channel
-Shel
ter (
LH)
Swinburn
(NYH)
Double (L
H) 0
10
20
30
Gull (L
M)
Mid
dle (L
E)
Big S
iste
r (LM
)
Agawa
(LS)
Toronto
Hrb
r (LO)
Granite
(LS)
Port. C
olborn
e (L
E)
Snake
(LO)
Channel
-Shel
ter (
LH)
Chantry
(LH)
Double (L
H)
Hamilt
on Hrb
r (LO)
Swinburn
(NYH)
Unnamed
(NR)
Strach
an (S
LR)
0
5
10
15
20
Mid
dle (L
E)
Chantry
(LH)
Hamilt
on Hrb
r (LO)
Strach
an (S
LR)
Toronto
Hrb
r (LO)
Port. C
olborn
e (L
E)
Snake
(LO)
Unnamed
(NR)
Gull (L
M)
Big S
iste
r (LM
)
Double (L
H)
Swinburn
(NYH)
Channel
-Shel
ter (
LH)
Granite
(LS)
Agawa
(LS)
0
0.4
0.8
1.2
1.6
Toronto
Hrb
r (LO)
Snake
(LO)
Big S
iste
r (LM
)
Hamilt
on Hrb
r (LO)
Mid
dle (L
E)
Gull (L
M)
Chantry
(LH)
Strach
an (S
LR)
Granite
(LS)
Unnamed
(NR)
Port. C
olborn
e (L
E)
Swinburn
(NYH)
Agawa
(LS)
Channel
-Shel
ter (
LH)
Double (L
H)
DDE HE
sum PCBs sum OCs
µg
/g,
we
t w
eig
ht
(pp
m)
Site
µg
/g,
we
t w
eig
ht
(pp
m)
ng
/g,
we
t w
eig
ht
(pp
b)
µg
/g,
we
t w
eig
ht
(pp
m)
Eggs from Swinburne I. were the least contaminated for these compounds
0
0.04
0.08
0.12
0.16
0.20
Toronto
Hrb
r (LO)
Snake
(LO)
Strach
an (S
LR)
Hamilt
on Hrb
r (LO)
Unnamed
(NR)
Port. C
olborn
e (L
E)
Double (L
H)
Agawa
(LS)
Mid
dle (L
E)
Granite
(LS)
Big S
iste
r (LM
)
Channel
-Shel
ter (
LH)
Gull (L
M)
Chantry
(LH)
Swinburn
(NYH)
0
0.4
0.8
1.2
Mid
dle (L
E)
Snake
(LO)
Strach
an (S
LR)
Toronto
Hrb
r (LO)
Chantry
(LH)
Unnamed
(NR)
Granite
(LS)
Double (L
H)
Big S
iste
r (LM
)
Hamilt
on Hrb
r (LO)
Agawa
(LS)
Gull (L
M)
Port. C
olborn
e (L
E)
Channel
-Shel
ter (
LH)
Swinburn
(NYH)
0
1,000
2,000
3,000
4,000
5,000
Mid
dle (L
E)
Chantry
(LH)
Gull (L
M)
Hamilt
on Hrb
r (LO)
Toronto
Hrb
r (LO)
Snake
(LO)
Strach
an (S
LR)
Big S
iste
r (LM
)
Port. C
olborn
e (L
E)
Unnamed
(NR)
Granite
(LS)
Double (L
H)
Agawa
(LS)
Channel
-Shel
ter (
LH)
Swinburn
(NYH)
µg
/g,
we
t w
eig
ht
(pp
m)
Site
µg
/g,
we
t w
eig
ht
(pp
m)
ρg
/g,
we
t w
eig
ht
(pp
t)
Mirex Hg
non-ortho PCBs
Eggs from Swinburn I. were the least contaminated for these compounds
0
1
2
3
4
Hamilt
on Hrb
r (LO)
Chantry
(LH)
Double (L
H)
Toronto
Hrb
r (LO)
Mid
dle (L
E)
Agawa
(LS)
Gull (L
M)
Port. C
olborn
e (L
E)
Unnamed
(NR)
Snake
(LO)
Big S
iste
r (LM
)
Channel
-Shel
ter (
LH)
Granite
(LS)
Strach
an (S
LR)
Swinburn
(NYH)
0
10
20
30
Toronto
Hrb
r (LO)
Mid
dle (L
E)
Gull (L
M)
Chantry
(LH)
Hamilt
on Hrb
r (LO)
Unnamed
(NR)
Snake
(LO)
Big S
iste
r (LM
)
Agawa
(LS)
Port. C
olborn
e (L
E)
Granite
(LS)
Double (L
H)
Strach
an (S
LR)
Channel
-Shel
ter (
LH)
Swinburn
(NYH)
ng
/g,
we
t w
eig
ht
(pp
b)
ng
/g,
we
t w
eig
ht
(pp
b)
HCB
Penta CB
Site
Site
Overall Contamination
• Where do eggs from Swinburn Island rank overall against eggs from the 14 Great Lakes Sites ?
• Can that be determined ? If so, how ?
Fish flesh criteria for various organochlorine compounds for protection of piscivorous wildlife (Newell et al., 1987)
CompoundFish Flesh Criteria(µg/g, wet weight)
Sum DDT 0.2
Dieldrin 0.12
HCB 0.33
HE 0.2
Mirex 0.33
Sum Chlordane 0.5
Octachlorostyrene 0.02
TCDD 0.0003
Sum PCB 0.11
Fish/food should not contain concentrations greater than these for safe consumption
http://www.dec.ny.gov/docs/wildlife_pdf/niagarabiotacontamproj.pdf
Overall contamination (mean weighted rank) among sites
Mid
dle
Channel
-Shel
ter
Hamilt
on Hrb
r
Strach
an
Toronto
Hrb
r
Port Colb
orne
Snake
Unnamed Gull
Big S
iste
r
Double
Swinburn
Chantry
Granite
Agawa
Colony
0
4
8
12
16
0
4
8
12
16
Mea
n W
eig
hte
d R
ank
rank = 1 most contaminated