Assessment of Contaminant Exposure and Effects on Ospreys Nesting along the Lower Duwamish River, Washington, 2006–07 Open-File Report 2009-1255 U.S. Department of the Interior U.S. Geological Survey Assessment of Contaminant Exposure and Effects on Ospreys Nesting along the Lower Duwamish River, Washington, 2006–07 Open-File Report 2009-1255 U.S. Department of the Interior U.S. Geological Survey Assessment of Contaminant Exposure and Effects on Ospreys Nesting along the Lower Duwamish River, Washington, 2006–07 By Branden L. Johnson, Charles J. Henny, and James L. Kaiser, U.S. Geological Survey, Jay W. Davis, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and Edmund P. Schulz, U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2009-1255 U.S. Department of the Interior U.S. Geological Survey U.S. Department of the Interior KEN SALAZAR, Secretary U.S. Geological Survey Marcia K. McNutt, Director U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, Virginia: 2009 For more information on the USGS—the Federal source for science about the Earth, its natural and living resources, natural hazards, and the environment, visit http://www.usgs.gov or call 1-888-ASK-USGS. For an overview of USGS information products, including maps, imagery, and publications, visit http://www.usgs.gov/pubprod To order this and other USGS information products, visit http://store.usgs.gov Suggested citation: Johnson, B.L., Henny, C.J., Kaiser, J.L., Davis, J.W., and Schulz, E.P., 2009, Assessment of contaminant exposure and effects on Ospreys nesting along the Lower Duwamish River, Washington, 2006–07: U.S Geological Survey Open-File Report 2009-1255, 88 p. Any use of trade, product, or firm names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government. 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Contents Abstract ......................................................................................................................................................................... 1 Introduction.................................................................................................................................................................... 2 Materials and Methods .................................................................................................................................................. 5 Study Area ................................................................................................................................................................. 5 Osprey Foraging and Nesting Observations .............................................................................................................. 6 Osprey Tissue Sampling............................................................................................................................................ 7 Osprey Eggs........................................................................................................................................................... 7 Nestling Plasma and Feathers ..............................................................................................................................10 Fish Collections.........................................................................................................................................................13 Biomagnification Factors...........................................................................................................................................13 Statistical Analysis ....................................................................................................................................................14 Results..........................................................................................................................................................................15 Osprey Dietary Habits, Nesting Chronology and Productivity ...................................................................................15 Contaminant Residues in Osprey Eggs ....................................................................................................................16 2002–03 Results ...................................................................................................................................................16 2006–07 Results ...................................................................................................................................................16 Morphological, Hematological and Biochemical Osprey Nestling Measurements.....................................................17 Contaminant Residues in Osprey Nestling Plasma and Mercury in Feathers...........................................................17 Correlations...............................................................................................................................................................18 Contaminant Residues in Fish ..................................................................................................................................18 Biomagnification Factors...........................................................................................................................................19 Discussion ....................................................................................................................................................................19 Osprey Dietary Habits, Nesting Chronology and Productivity ...................................................................................19 Contaminant Residues in Osprey Tissues ................................................................................................................20 Contaminant Residues in Fish ..................................................................................................................................22 Biomagnification Factors...........................................................................................................................................23 Hematological and Biochemical Osprey Nestling Measurements.............................................................................23 Correlations...............................................................................................................................................................28 Conclusions..................................................................................................................................................................28 Acknowledgments ........................................................................................................................................................30 References Cited..........................................................................................................................................................30 iii Figures Figure 1. Osprey nest sites studied and monitored; A = reference site Willamette River (WR), Oregon and B = lower Duwamish River (LDR), Washington. ...................................................................................... 42 Figure 2. Percent incidence of fish families captured by ospreys nesting along the lower Duwamish River during selected nesting periods in 2006–07 ................................................................................................................ 43 Figure 3. Frequency of species comprising selected fish families captured by ospreys nesting along the lower Duwamish River during the entire nesting period, 2006–07............................................................................... 44 Figure 4. Percent fish captured in the lower Duwamish River (LDR), Lake Washington (LW), Puget Sound (PS) including Elliott Bay, and unknown (UNK) location by osprey nesting along the lower Duwamish River (2006–07) during selected nesting periods. ............................................................................ 44 Figure 5. Frequency of salmonids captured in the lower Duwamish River (LDR) and Puget Sound (PS), Washington by ospreys nesting along the LDR during selected nesting periods, 2006–07......................................... 45 Figure 6. Percent contribution of polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) congeners observed in osprey eggs collected from three areas in the Puget Sound, Washington in 2002–03. ................................................................... 46 Figure 7. Geometric mean sum of polychlorinated biphenyl (SPCBs) and sum of polybrominated diphenyl ether (SPBDEs) concentrations in osprey eggs and nestling plasma from the lower Duwamish River (LDR), Washington (2006–07) and Willamette River (WR), Oregon (2006)............................................................................ 47 Figure 8. Geometric mean polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) congener concentrations in osprey eggs and nestling plasma from the lower Duwamish River (LDR), Washington (2006–07) and the Willamette River (WR), Oregon (2006). Asterisks indicate significant differences between rivers (α = 0.05).................................................... 48 Figure 9. Geometric mean polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) congener concentrations in osprey eggs and nestling plasma from the lower Duwamish River (LDR), Washington (2006–07) and the Willamette River (WR), Oregon (2006)........................................................................................................................ 49 Figure 10. Sum