Detailed Research Information

Detailed project information for
Study Plan Number 01066-09

Branch : Fish Health Branch

Study Plan Number : 01066-09

Study Title : Lake Erie ecological investigations

Starting Date : 10/06/1997

Completion Date : 09/30/2001

Principal Investigator(s) : Baumann, Paul C. & Blazer, Vicki S.

Primary PI : Baumann, Paul C.

Telephone Number : (614) 469-5701

Email Address : baumann.1@osu.edu

SIS Number : 5001514

Primary Program Element : Contaminants

Second Program Element : Fish and Aquatic Habitats

Status : Completed

Abstract : BACKGROUND
Impacts from environmental contaminants to natural resources in Lake Erie have been addressed through research and management efforts by several local, state, and federal agencies. Environmental contaminants, particularly polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are suspected as the causal factor of liver tumors in fish populations from certain Lake Erie industrialized areas (Harshbarger and Clark 1990; Hickey et al. 1990; Black 1983a; Black 1983b; Baumann et al. 1982, Baumann et al. 1991). Contaminated sediments are present in all of the Great Lakes Areas of Concern (International Joint Commission - IJC, 1985) and occur in all areas where liver tumors have been verified in the brown bullhead (Ameiurus nebulosus). Fish and invertebrate communities at contaminated and relatively clean sites on Lake Erie indicate that, even though densities were similar in contaminated versus relatively clean sites, the diversity of both fish and invertebrates was much lower in the areas with contaminated sediments. (Smith etal. 1994).

Within the last ten years significant changes have occurred at several harbors, tributaries, and at the Areas of Concern (AOC) on Lake Erie including dredging of contaminated sediments, diversion of industrial effluents, shoreline cleanup, the invasion of non-indigenous species, and the natural process of sedimentation. While several agencies have conducted investigations to identify biological resource problems and associated contaminated sediments, only a few studies (Baumann and Harshbarger 1995) have identified changes in the contaminant levels or impacts to the fish populations. There is a current need to reevaluate the "health" of the Lake Erie fisheries following the clean-up efforts and the invasion of the exotic zebra mussel, which may have altered the contaminant cycling in the lakes ecosystem.

A re-evaluation would help to ascertain if remedial activities and reductions in point source loadings at several of the Lake Erie harbors and/or river systems have been successful . Analysis of the invertebrate and fish communities would determine the response of these populations while the biological indicators (biomarkers) would assess the health and fitness of the biota. This investigation would also establish a data base enabling future collections to determine long term changes (trends) to the Lake Erie aquatic ecosystem1 particularly changes related to reduced contaminant input.

Historical measures of histopathology and environmental chemistry made by the Biological Resources Division (BRD) of US Geological Survey (USGS) and the US Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) will be compared with data from the current investigation, allowing the techniques developed by the Biomonitoring of Environmental Status and Trends (BEST) program to detect changes in the health of the Lake Erie aquatic resources. BRD/BEST technology addresses four disciplines; environmental chemistry, toxicity testing, biomarkers and organism health. A suite of methods addressing fish health indicators and biomarkers would be established to detect responses of fish to changes in contaminant exposure. Establishing techniques for a reevaluation which would be used by researchers and managers for long term monitoring of the Lake Erie aquatic ecosystem will be emphasized.

In the past (1980-present) brown bullheads were collected from Lake Erie in areas with contaminated sediments. Most sites have 3 to 15 years of histopathological data (Table 1). Fish were captured and necropsied for abnormalities and for internal and external lesions. Brown bullhead was the selected species because it is a bottom feeder which often shows increased tumor incidence in areas with contaminated sediments and the bullhead is the indicator species selected by the IJC (1987) to determine impacts from contaminated sediments. Bullhead are the best indicator species because they are widespread in the Great Lakes system, are a tolerant species, and are in frequent contact with the bottom sediments.
OBJECTIVES
The Lake Erie Ecological Investigation (LEEI) will complete a regional assessment of the Lake Erie ecosystem for a reevaluation of collections and methods used for bioindicators, determination of fish and invertebrate community structure and sediment chemistry made from the Lake Erie Ecosystem in the 1980's. The field investigation will include Lake Erie - Areas Of Concern (AOC) which were sampled by BRD, FWS and other cooperating organizations since the 1980's and an assessment of techniques to determine optimal monitoring techniques. Specific objectives follow:

Objective 1) Complete a retrospective analysis of existing data for Lake Erie relating to contaminant sources, contaminant types, contaminant levels, potentially affected biological resources, and historic histopathology of biological resources (mainly brown bullhead).

Objective 2) Re-evaluate biological health indicators at areas where historic collections and analyses previously showed elevated concentrations of contaminated sediments, adverse impacts to both fish populations (low community diversity, anomalies, tumors) and invertebrate populations (low species diversity and the presence of species indicating poor water/sediment quality). We will analyze: a-bed sediments for contaminants; b-fish populations for relative abundance, abnormalities, tumors, physical disorders; c-invertebrates for relative abundance and diversity; d-sediment, fish and invertebrate information, which will include; comparison within and between sites, current collections compared to historic data, and relating current conditions to contaminants and water quality measurements.

Objective 3) The comparison and complimentary aspects of the BRD/BEST and NAWQA methods to compare the "health" of an aquatic community would be an additional asset from the investigation. A few of the sites proposed for this LEEI overlap with sampling locations established by the LERI Study Unit (NAWQA). Methods which may be applicable for comparison include fish and invertebrate community analysis (e.g. Fish: NAWQA - electrofishing only; BRD/BEST electrofishing & trap nets; Invertebrates- NAWQA- instream scrubbing of substrates; BRD/BEST - dredge sampling). Complimentary methods may include water column water quality measurements made by NAWQA and not by BRD/BEST

Objective 4) Make available the information generated from the ecological investigations into Remedial Action Plans, Lake Erie Area Management Plan (LAMP), State of the Lakes Ecosystem planning process (SOLEC) and other recovery measures for the harbors, tributaries and near shore areas of Lake Erie.

Objective 5) Establish a long term data base and accessibility of data by government agencies and appropriate Lake Erie groups for fish and invertebrate communities. tissue and sediment residue levels, and fish health indicators which can be periodically re-evaluated to determine whether remedial measures are having the desired effect and if new impacts are occurring to the Lake Erie aquatic resources. The identification of the responsible party for establishing such a data base will be determined as the principle investigators synthesize and analyze the information.
HYPOTHESES TO BE TESTED
I) Fish pathology, especially liver tumor frequencies, will have decreased in those rivers where remedial actions such as dredging have taken place, or where point sources such a coking facilities have since been closed.

2) Fish pathology, especially liver tumor frequencies, will have remained elevated in those rivers where remedial actions have not been undertaken and where point sources are still active.

3) Sediment loads of toxic chemicals will be correlated with the prevalence of fish pathology.

4) Fish communities will be less diverse where toxic sediment loads and fish pathology rates are high.

5) Invertebrate communities will be less diverse where toxic sediment loads are high.

6) EROD as a measure of MFO induction will be elevated where toxic sediment loads are high and pathology rates are high.

7) Vitellogenin will be elevated in males from locations where toxic sediment loads are high.

8) PAH bile metabolites and oncofetal protein will be elevated in fish from rivers with elevated PAH levels in sediment.

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Last Modified: October 21, 2002 dwn
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Branch :	Fish Health Branch
Study Plan Number :	01066-09
Study Title :	Lake Erie ecological investigations
Starting Date :	10/06/1997
Completion Date :	09/30/2001
Principal Investigator(s) :	Baumann, Paul C. & Blazer, Vicki S.
Primary PI :	Baumann, Paul C.
Telephone Number :	(614) 469-5701
Email Address :	baumann.1@osu.edu
SIS Number :	5001514
Primary Program Element :	Contaminants
Second Program Element :	Fish and Aquatic Habitats
Status :	Completed
Abstract :	BACKGROUND Impacts from environmental contaminants to natural resources in Lake Erie have been addressed through research and management efforts by several local, state, and federal agencies. Environmental contaminants, particularly polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are suspected as the causal factor of liver tumors in fish populations from certain Lake Erie industrialized areas (Harshbarger and Clark 1990; Hickey et al. 1990; Black 1983a; Black 1983b; Baumann et al. 1982, Baumann et al. 1991). Contaminated sediments are present in all of the Great Lakes Areas of Concern (International Joint Commission - IJC, 1985) and occur in all areas where liver tumors have been verified in the brown bullhead (Ameiurus nebulosus). Fish and invertebrate communities at contaminated and relatively clean sites on Lake Erie indicate that, even though densities were similar in contaminated versus relatively clean sites, the diversity of both fish and invertebrates was much lower in the areas with contaminated sediments. (Smith etal. 1994). Within the last ten years significant changes have occurred at several harbors, tributaries, and at the Areas of Concern (AOC) on Lake Erie including dredging of contaminated sediments, diversion of industrial effluents, shoreline cleanup, the invasion of non-indigenous species, and the natural process of sedimentation. While several agencies have conducted investigations to identify biological resource problems and associated contaminated sediments, only a few studies (Baumann and Harshbarger 1995) have identified changes in the contaminant levels or impacts to the fish populations. There is a current need to reevaluate the "health" of the Lake Erie fisheries following the clean-up efforts and the invasion of the exotic zebra mussel, which may have altered the contaminant cycling in the lakes ecosystem. A re-evaluation would help to ascertain if remedial activities and reductions in point source loadings at several of the Lake Erie harbors and/or river systems have been successful . Analysis of the invertebrate and fish communities would determine the response of these populations while the biological indicators (biomarkers) would assess the health and fitness of the biota. This investigation would also establish a data base enabling future collections to determine long term changes (trends) to the Lake Erie aquatic ecosystem1 particularly changes related to reduced contaminant input. Historical measures of histopathology and environmental chemistry made by the Biological Resources Division (BRD) of US Geological Survey (USGS) and the US Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) will be compared with data from the current investigation, allowing the techniques developed by the Biomonitoring of Environmental Status and Trends (BEST) program to detect changes in the health of the Lake Erie aquatic resources. BRD/BEST technology addresses four disciplines; environmental chemistry, toxicity testing, biomarkers and organism health. A suite of methods addressing fish health indicators and biomarkers would be established to detect responses of fish to changes in contaminant exposure. Establishing techniques for a reevaluation which would be used by researchers and managers for long term monitoring of the Lake Erie aquatic ecosystem will be emphasized. In the past (1980-present) brown bullheads were collected from Lake Erie in areas with contaminated sediments. Most sites have 3 to 15 years of histopathological data (Table 1). Fish were captured and necropsied for abnormalities and for internal and external lesions. Brown bullhead was the selected species because it is a bottom feeder which often shows increased tumor incidence in areas with contaminated sediments and the bullhead is the indicator species selected by the IJC (1987) to determine impacts from contaminated sediments. Bullhead are the best indicator species because they are widespread in the Great Lakes system, are a tolerant species, and are in frequent contact with the bottom sediments. OBJECTIVES The Lake Erie Ecological Investigation (LEEI) will complete a regional assessment of the Lake Erie ecosystem for a reevaluation of collections and methods used for bioindicators, determination of fish and invertebrate community structure and sediment chemistry made from the Lake Erie Ecosystem in the 1980's. The field investigation will include Lake Erie - Areas Of Concern (AOC) which were sampled by BRD, FWS and other cooperating organizations since the 1980's and an assessment of techniques to determine optimal monitoring techniques. Specific objectives follow: Objective 1) Complete a retrospective analysis of existing data for Lake Erie relating to contaminant sources, contaminant types, contaminant levels, potentially affected biological resources, and historic histopathology of biological resources (mainly brown bullhead). Objective 2) Re-evaluate biological health indicators at areas where historic collections and analyses previously showed elevated concentrations of contaminated sediments, adverse impacts to both fish populations (low community diversity, anomalies, tumors) and invertebrate populations (low species diversity and the presence of species indicating poor water/sediment quality). We will analyze: a-bed sediments for contaminants; b-fish populations for relative abundance, abnormalities, tumors, physical disorders; c-invertebrates for relative abundance and diversity; d-sediment, fish and invertebrate information, which will include; comparison within and between sites, current collections compared to historic data, and relating current conditions to contaminants and water quality measurements. Objective 3) The comparison and complimentary aspects of the BRD/BEST and NAWQA methods to compare the "health" of an aquatic community would be an additional asset from the investigation. A few of the sites proposed for this LEEI overlap with sampling locations established by the LERI Study Unit (NAWQA). Methods which may be applicable for comparison include fish and invertebrate community analysis (e.g. Fish: NAWQA - electrofishing only; BRD/BEST electrofishing & trap nets; Invertebrates- NAWQA- instream scrubbing of substrates; BRD/BEST - dredge sampling). Complimentary methods may include water column water quality measurements made by NAWQA and not by BRD/BEST Objective 4) Make available the information generated from the ecological investigations into Remedial Action Plans, Lake Erie Area Management Plan (LAMP), State of the Lakes Ecosystem planning process (SOLEC) and other recovery measures for the harbors, tributaries and near shore areas of Lake Erie. Objective 5) Establish a long term data base and accessibility of data by government agencies and appropriate Lake Erie groups for fish and invertebrate communities. tissue and sediment residue levels, and fish health indicators which can be periodically re-evaluated to determine whether remedial measures are having the desired effect and if new impacts are occurring to the Lake Erie aquatic resources. The identification of the responsible party for establishing such a data base will be determined as the principle investigators synthesize and analyze the information. HYPOTHESES TO BE TESTED I) Fish pathology, especially liver tumor frequencies, will have decreased in those rivers where remedial actions such as dredging have taken place, or where point sources such a coking facilities have since been closed. 2) Fish pathology, especially liver tumor frequencies, will have remained elevated in those rivers where remedial actions have not been undertaken and where point sources are still active. 3) Sediment loads of toxic chemicals will be correlated with the prevalence of fish pathology. 4) Fish communities will be less diverse where toxic sediment loads and fish pathology rates are high. 5) Invertebrate communities will be less diverse where toxic sediment loads are high. 6) EROD as a measure of MFO induction will be elevated where toxic sediment loads are high and pathology rates are high. 7) Vitellogenin will be elevated in males from locations where toxic sediment loads are high. 8) PAH bile metabolites and oncofetal protein will be elevated in fish from rivers with elevated PAH levels in sediment.
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U.S. Department of the Interior \|\| U.S. Geological Survey 11700 Leetown Road, Kearneysville, WV 25430, USA URL: http://www.lsc.usgs.gov Maintainer: lsc_webmaster@usgs.gov Last Modified: October 21, 2002 dwn Privacy Policy and Disclaimers \|\| FOIA \|\| Accessibility