Freshwater Fisheries and Eagles
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Davis Pond Freshwater Prediversion Biomonitoring Study: Freshwater Fisheries and Eagles Scientific Investigations Report 2008–5067 U.S. Department of the Interior U.S. Geological Survey Cover photograph: A tree-climber scales a tree in the Davis Pond, La., area. Active bald eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) nests were targeted for sampling eaglet blood. The site is near mile marker 75 on the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway. Davis Pond Freshwater Prediversion Biomonitoring Study: Freshwater Fisheries and Eagles By Jill A. Jenkins, E. Beth Bourgeois, and Clint W. Jeske Scientific Investigations Report 2008–5067 U.S. Department of the Interior U.S. Geological Survey U.S. Department of the Interior DIRK KEMPTHORNE, Secretary U.S. Geological Survey Mark D. Myers, Director U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, Virginia: 2008 This and other USGS information products are available at http://store.usgs.gov/ U.S. Geological Survey Box 25286, Denver Federal Center Denver, CO 80225 To learn about the USGS and its information products visit http://www.usgs.gov/ 1-888-ASK-USGS Any use of trade, product, or firm names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government. Although this report is in the public domain, permission must be secured from the individual copyright owners to reproduce any copyrighted materials contained within this report. Suggested citation: Jenkins, J.A., Bourgeois, E.B., and Jeske, C.W., 2008, Davis Pond freshwater prediversion biomonitoring study—freshwater fisheries and eagles: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2008–5067, 102 p. iii Preface This report presents results, study interpretations, and background information regarding the biomonitoring survey for contaminants performed at the Davis Pond freshwater diversion project site in Louisiana. The overall purpose of this study was to evaluate potential impacts of the operations of the Davis Pond freshwater diversion structure on fish, bivalves, and eagles in the downstream marsh area. These data were collected in 2001, prior to full functioning of the diversion structure, and so are considered to have been obtained prediversion. The monitoring plan closely examines the status of the freshwater fisheries and eaglets along with contaminant residues; interpretations of biological relevance are offered based on biomarker observations and literature. Contaminant values are provided for individual fish, composites of bivalve tissues, and eaglet blood samples, and comparisons were made from appropriate available literature, both recent and historical, to enhance understanding of the chemical data. Further, because biomarkers reflect the condition of animals and the habitat in which they reside, biomarker data were collected to add relevant information to the understanding of potential effects of contaminant stressors in or entering this ecosystem. This study was conducted cooperatively by the U.S. Geological Survey, the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). The study was designed in the mid-1990s through an interagency cooperative effort and is in accordance with a memorandum from the president of the Mississippi River Commission dated October 31, 1995: Flood Control of the Mississippi River and Tributaries, Mississippi Delta Region, Louisiana, Salinity Control Structures, Design Memorandum No. 1 – Davis Pond Freshwater Diversion Structure, Supplement No. 1 – Biological, Hydrologic, Water and Sediment Quality Monitoring Program. Specifics of this sampling design are in accordance with the initial USFWS 1984 biological opinion written by Dennis Jordan, then field supervisor of the USFWS Endangered Species Field Office, and the 1996 revision for the Davis Pond diversion as mandated by the Endangered Species Act of 1973. Questions regarding this report should be directed to either of the following: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service J.A. Jenkins Ecological Services Field Office U.S. Geological Survey 646 Cajundome Blvd., Suite 400 National Wetlands Research Center Lafayette, LA 70506 700 Cajundome Blvd. Lafayette, LA 70506 iv Contents Abstract ..........................................................................................................................................................1 Introduction.....................................................................................................................................................3 Materials and Methods.................................................................................................................................8 Collection of Fishes .................................................................................................................8 Biomarkers ...............................................................................................................................9 Collection of Bivalves ...........................................................................................................10 Collection of Eaglet Blood ....................................................................................................10 Analyses for Contaminants ..................................................................................................10 Statistical Analyses ..............................................................................................................11 Results ..........................................................................................................................................................11 Graphics for Contaminants Analyses ................................................................................11 Discussion .....................................................................................................................................................45 Acknowledgments .......................................................................................................................................53 References ....................................................................................................................................................53 Appendix 1. Additional Tables and Figures .............................................................................................61 Appendix 2. Background and Environmental Relevance .....................................................................83 Appendix 3. Citations for Chemical Names and Abbreviations ..........................................................93 Figures 1. Map showing locations of sampling sites for freshwater fish at the Davis Pond freshwater diversion in Louisiana ........................................................................................4 2. Map showing locations of sampling sites in the current study for fish along the Mississippi River in relation to the Caernarvon and Davis Pond freshwater diversions..................................................................................................................................5 3. Graph of splenosomatic indices of fish ......................................................................................12 4. Microscopic image of blood cells from mullet .........................................................................12 5. Graph of comparison of average percent white blood cells per site per species .............13 6. Micrographs of macrophage aggregates from fish spleens .................................................13 7. Graph of frequency of macrophage aggregates per spleen by site .....................................14 8. Graph of average EROD specific activity ...................................................................................14 9. Graph and data table showing total organochlorines from aquatic animal tissues ..........16 10. Graph and data table showing total polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons from aquatic animal tissues ..........................................................................................................20 11. Graph showing percent white blood cells per fish versus BaP ...........................................21 12. Graph and data table showing total aliphatic hydrocarbons from aquatic animal tissues ........................................................................................................................22 13. Graph and data table showing aluminum from aquatic animal tissues .............................23 14. Graph showing aluminum, arsenic, barium, and zinc in eaglet whole blood ....................24 15. Graph and data table showing arsenic from aquatic animal tissues .................................25 16. Satellite image showing EMAP Louisianian Province within Caernarvon and Davis Pond areas ...........................................................................................................26 v 17. Graph and data table showing barium from aquatic animal tissues ..................................28 18. Graph and data table showing boron from aquatic animal tissues ....................................29 19. Graph and data table showing cadmium from aquatic animal tissues ..............................30 20. Graph and data table showing chromium from aquatic animal tissues .............................32 21. Graph and data table showing copper from aquatic animal tissues ..................................33 22. Graph showing copper, selenium, and silicon in eaglet whole blood.................................34 23. Graph