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 Colborne11. 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 Sister

(LM)

Swinburn (N

YH)

Granite

(LS)

Gull (LM)

Port. Colborn

e (LE)

Double (LH)

Channel-

Shelter

(LH)

Snake (

LO)

Unnamed

(NR)

Hamilto

n Hrb

r (LO)

Chantry

(LH)

Middle (LE)

Strach

an (S

LR)

Toronto Hrb

r (LO)

75

76

77

78

Chantry

(LH)

Hamilto

n Hrb

r (LO)

Strach

an (S

LR)

Port. C

olborne (

LE)

Middle (LE)

Snake (

LO)

Gull (LM)

Agawa (

LS)

Channel-

Shelter

(LH)

Toronto Hrb

r (LO)

Double (LH)

Granite

(LS)

Swinburn (N

YH)

Unnamed

(NR)

Big Sister

(LM)

% L

ipid

% M

oist

ure

Eggs from Swinburne I. were among the 7 most contaminated for these compounds

0

4

8

12

Chantry

(LH)

Swinburn (NYH)

Hamilto

n Hrbr (L

O)

Toronto Hrbr (

LO)

Channel-

Shelter

(LH)

Agawa (

LS)

Middle (LE)

Port. Colborn

e (LE)

Unnamed

(NR)

Big Sister

(LM)

Double (LH)

Granite

(LS)

Gull (LM)

Snake (

LO)

Strach

an (S

LR)0

200

400

600

800

Toronto Hrbr (

LO)

Agawa (

LS)

Chantry

(LH)

Gull (LM)

Swinburn (NYH)

Big Sister

(LM)

Hamilto

n Hrbr (L

O)

Channel-

Shelter

(LH)

Granite

(LS)

Snake (

LO)

Middle (LE)

Port. Colborn

e (LE)

Strach

an (S

LR)

Double (LH)

Unnamed

(NR)

0

5

10

15

20

Chantry

(LH)

Snake (

LO)

Middle (LE)

Toronto Hrbr (

LO)

Strach

an (S

LR)

Hamilto

n Hrbr (L

O)

Swinburn (NYH)

Port. Colborn

e (LE)

Double (LH)

Unnamed

(NR)

Granite

(LS)

Agawa (

LS)

Channel-

Shelter

(LH)

Gull (LM)

Big Sister

(LM) 0

0.005

0.010

0.015

Strach

an (S

LR)

Middle (LE)

Chantry

(LH)

Toronto Hrbr (

LO)

Swinburn (NYH)

Gull (LM)

Big Sister

(LM)

Granite

(LS)

Double (LH)

Agawa (

LS)

Unnamed

(NR)

Port. Colborn

e (LE)

Channel-

Shelter

(LH)

Hamilto

n Hrbr (L

O)

Snake (

LO)

TCBs sum BDEs

TCDD TCPM

ng/g

, wet

wei

ght (

ppb)

ng/g

, wet

wei

ght (

ppb)

ρg/g

, wet

wei

ght (

ppt)

µg/g

, wet

wei

ght (

ppm

)

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 (N

YH)

Toronto H

rbr (

LO)

Gull (LM)

Middle (LE)

Big Sister

(LM)

Chantry

(LH)

Strach

an (S

LR)

Agawa (

LS)

Granite

(LS)

Double (LH)

Unnamed

(NR)

Channel-

Shelter

(LH)

Hamilto

n Hrbr (

LO)

Port. C

olborne (

LE)

Snake (

LO)

Dieldrin

µg/g

, wet

wei

ght (

ppm

)

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 Hrbr (

LO)

Big Sister

(LM)

Snake (

LO)

Middle (LE)

Gull (LM)

Hamilto

n Hrb

r (LO)

Chantry

(LH)

Strach

an (S

LR)

Granite

(LS)

Port. Colborn

e (LE)

Unnamed

(NR)

Agawa (

LS)

Channel-

Shelter

(LH)

Swinburn (NYH)

Double (LH) 0

10

20

30

Gull (LM)

Middle (LE)

Big Sister

(LM)

Agawa (

LS)

Toronto Hrbr (

LO)

Granite

(LS)

Port. Colborn

e (LE)

Snake (

LO)

Channel-

Shelter

(LH)

Chantry

(LH)

Double (LH)

Hamilto

n Hrbr (L

O)

Swinburn (NYH)

Unnamed

(NR)

Strach

an (S

LR)

0

5

10

15

20

Middle (LE)

Chantry

(LH)

Hamilto

n Hrbr (L

O)

Strach

an (S

LR)

Toronto Hrbr (

LO)

Port. Colborn

e (LE)

Snake (

LO)

Unnamed

(NR)

Gull (LM)

Big Sister

(LM)

Double (LH)

Swinburn (NYH)

Channel-

Shelter

(LH)

Granite

(LS)

Agawa (

LS) 0

0.4

0.8

1.2

1.6

Toronto Hrbr (

LO)

Snake (

LO)

Big Sister

(LM)

Hamilto

n Hrbr (L

O)

Middle (LE)

Gull (LM)

Chantry

(LH)

Strach

an (S

LR)

Granite

(LS)

Unnamed

(NR)

Port. Colborn

e (LE)

Swinburn (NYH)

Agawa (

LS)

Channel-

Shelter

(LH)

Double (LH)

DDE HE

sum PCBs sum OCs

µg/g

, wet

wei

ght (

ppm

)

Site

µg/g

, wet

wei

ght (

ppm

)

ng/g

, wet

wei

ght (

ppb)

µg/g

, wet

wei

ght (

ppm

)

Eggs from Swinburne I. were the least contaminated for these compounds

0

0.04

0.08

0.12

0.16

0.20

Toronto Hrbr (

LO)

Snake (

LO)

Strach

an (S

LR)

Hamilto

n Hrbr (L

O)

Unnamed

(NR)

Port. Colborn

e (LE)

Double (LH)

Agawa (

LS)

Middle (LE)

Granite

(LS)

Big Sister

(LM)

Channel-

Shelter

(LH)

Gull (LM)

Chantry

(LH)

Swinburn (NYH)

0

0.4

0.8

1.2

Middle (LE)

Snake (

LO)

Strach

an (S

LR)

Toronto Hrbr (

LO)

Chantry

(LH)

Unnamed

(NR)

Granite

(LS)

Double (LH)

Big Sister

(LM)

Hamilto

n Hrbr (L

O)

Agawa (

LS)

Gull (LM)

Port. Colborn

e (LE)

Channel-

Shelter

(LH)

Swinburn (NYH)

0

1,000

2,000

3,000

4,000

5,000

Middle (LE)

Chantry

(LH)

Gull (LM)

Hamilto

n Hrbr (L

O)

Toronto Hrbr (

LO)

Snake (

LO)

Strach

an (S

LR)

Big Sister

(LM)

Port. Colborn

e (LE)

Unnamed

(NR)

Granite

(LS)

Double (LH)

Agawa (

LS)

Channel-

Shelter

(LH)

Swinburn (NYH)

µg/g

, wet

wei

ght (

ppm

)

Site

µg/g

, wet

wei

ght (

ppm

)

ρg/g

, wet

wei

ght (

ppt)

Mirex Hg

non-ortho PCBs

Eggs from Swinburn I. were the least contaminated for these compounds

0

1

2

3

4

Hamilto

n Hrbr (L

O)

Chantry

(LH)

Double (LH)

Toronto H

rbr (

LO)

Middle (LE)

Agawa (

LS)

Gull (LM)

Port. Colborn

e (LE)

Unnamed

(NR)

Snake (

LO)

Big Sister

(LM)

Channel-

Shelter

(LH)

Granite

(LS)

Strach

an (S

LR)

Swinburn (N

YH)

0

10

20

30

Toronto H

rbr (

LO)

Middle (LE)

Gull (LM)

Chantry

(LH)

Hamilto

n Hrb

r (LO)

Unnamed

(NR)

Snake (

LO)

Big Sister

(LM)

Agawa (

LS)

Port. Colborn

e (LE)

Granite

(LS)

Double (LH)

Strach

an (S

LR)

Channel-

Shelter

(LH)

Swinburn (N

YH)

ng/g

, wet

wei

ght (

ppb)

ng/g

, wet

wei

ght (

ppb)

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 0.2Dieldrin 0.12HCB 0.33HE 0.2Mirex 0.33Sum Chlordane 0.5Octachlorostyrene 0.02TCDD 0.0003Sum 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

Middle

Channel-

Shelter

Hamilto

n Hrbr

Strach

an

Toronto Hrbr

Port Colborne

Snake

Unnamed Gull

Big Sister

Double

Swinburn

Chantry

Granite

Agawa

Colony

0

4

8

12

16

0

4

8

12

16

Mea

n W

eigh

ted

Ran

k

rank = 1 most contaminated

www.ec.gc.ca