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.

Waterbird Colonies in New York Harbor

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

www.ec.gc.ca