Effects of Historic PCB Exposures on the Reproductive Success of the Hudson River Striped Bass Population

Barnthouse, Lawrence W.; Glaser, David; Young, J. R.

doi:10.1021/es025876f

Cited by 21 publications

(17 citation statements)

References 25 publications

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“…This finding is consistent with earlier findings (Barnthouse et al 2003), which showed that elevated levels of PCBs had no measurable effect on reproductive success in the Hudson River striped bass population. In the case of striped bass, any effects of PCBs on their reproduction were small compared with the effects of restrictions on striped bass harvests introduced in the mid‐1980s, which led to a 10‐fold increase in the size of the spawning population and in annual egg production, accompanied by a compensatory 90% decline in the survival of striped bass larvae.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 93%

“…As in the case of striped bass (Barnthouse et al 2003), previous inferences concerning effects of PCB exposures on the Hudson River white perch population have been based on conservative interpretations of limited laboratory and field data. The USEPA LOAELTRV was derived from a laboratory study performed by Hansen et al (1974), in which sheepshead minnow ( Cyprinodon variegatus ) fry were exposed to waterborne PCBs during a 28‐d period.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…At all of these sites, except the Kalamazoo River, the USEPA concluded that some fish species were at risk from PCB exposures. However, at 3 of the 4 remaining sites, including the Hudson River, apparently healthy populations of at risk species have persisted in spite of exposure to elevated concentrations of PCBs (Munns et al 1997; Barnthouse et al 2003; Reiser et al 2004).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Polychlorinated biphenyls and hudson river white perch: implications for population‐level ecological risk assessment and risk management

Barnthouse¹,

Glaser²,

DeSantis³

2009

Integr Envir Assess & Manag

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Risk assessments and risk management decisions concerning risks to wild fish populations resulting from exposures to polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and related chemicals have been based primarily on observations of effects of chemicals on individual organisms. Although the development and application of population-level ecological risk-assessment methods is proceeding at a rapid pace, the organism-level approach is still being justified by arguments that population-level ecological risk assessment is in an early stage of development and has not been shown to be reliable. This article highlights the importance of including population-level effects in risk-management decision-making, by examining the effects of exposures to PCBs on fish populations inhabiting the Hudson River, New York, USA, a system in which data have been collected for approximately 30 y concerning both concentrations of PCBs in sediment and fish tissue and the abundance and reproduction of exposed fish populations. We previously tested hypotheses concerning the effects of PCBs on the striped bass population of the Hudson River, and found that the available data conflicted with all of these hypotheses. Here, we report results of similar analyses of effects of historic PCB exposures on the Hudson River white perch population, using an extended data set that recently became available. As with striped bass, we found no correlation between maternal PCB tissue concentrations and any measure of reproductive success in Hudson River white perch during the 30-y period covered by the data set. Together with results of studies performed on fish populations exposed to PCBs at other sites, our results clearly demonstrate that physiological and genetic adaptation, biological compensation, and other ecological processes influence responses of fish populations to PCB exposures and should be considered in risk management decision-making.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 93%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Polychlorinated biphenyls and hudson river white perch: implications for population‐level ecological risk assessment and risk management

Barnthouse¹,

Glaser²,

DeSantis³

2009

Integr Envir Assess & Manag

Self Cite

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“…PCBs declined an order of magnitude since the 1970s in adult striped bass (Morone saxatilis) and white perch (Morone americana) in the lower Hudson River (Albany to New York, New York, USA) and during this time, reproductive success was not related to temporal trends in PCBs (Barnthouse et al, 2003(Barnthouse et al, , 2009. In fact, a positive correlation between maternal lipid-based PCBs in white perch and subsequent abundance at age-1 was observed (Barnthouse et al, 2009).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 96%

Polychlorinated biphenyl exposure and fish recruitment from 1988 to 2002 in the upper Hudson River, New York, USA

Maceina¹,

Sammons²

2015

Fisheries Research

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“…When they are, they are usually applied to individual populations, although occasionally they may be applied to a set of populations. They may be measured in the field and exposure-response relationships derived from the field observations may be used to estimate ecological risks (Barnthouse et al 2003). Endpoints based on population attributes are supported by policy and precedent (USEPA 2003).…”

Section: Production Of the Brook Trout Population In Short Creekmentioning

confidence: 99%

Individuals versus Organisms versus Populations in the Definition of Ecological Assessment Endpoints

Suter

Norton

Fairbrother

2005

Integr Environ Assess Manag

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Discussions and applications of the policies and practices of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) in ecological risk assessment will benefit from continued clarification of the concepts of assessment endpoints and of levels of biological organization. First, assessment endpoint entities and attributes can be defined at different levels of organization. Hence, an organism-level attribute, such as growth or survival, can be applied collectively to a population-level entity such as the brook trout in a stream. Second, assessment endpoints for ecological risk assessment are often mistakenly described as "individual level," which leads to the idea that such assessments are intended to protect individuals. Finally, populations play a more important role in risk assessments than is generally recognized. Organism-level attributes are used primarily for population-level assessments. In addition, the USEPA and other agencies already are basing management decisions on population or community entities and attributes such as production of fisheries, abundance of migratory bird populations, and aquatic community composition.

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Effects of Historic PCB Exposures on the Reproductive Success of the Hudson River Striped Bass Population

Cited by 21 publications

References 25 publications

Polychlorinated biphenyls and hudson river white perch: implications for population‐level ecological risk assessment and risk management

Polychlorinated biphenyls and hudson river white perch: implications for population‐level ecological risk assessment and risk management

Polychlorinated biphenyl exposure and fish recruitment from 1988 to 2002 in the upper Hudson River, New York, USA

Individuals versus Organisms versus Populations in the Definition of Ecological Assessment Endpoints

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