A Pilot Study of the Effects of Contaminants on Shiner Surf Perch in the San Francisco BayEstuary An

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A Pilot Study of the Effects of Contaminants on
Shiner Surf Perch in the San Francisco
Bay-EstuaryAn update-November 22, 2005

• Robert Spies, AMS
• Kathrine Springman, UC Davis
• Spring 2005

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Problem

• Populations of many fish in the SF Estuary are in
  a long-term decline.
• There are many possible causes of the this
  decline including habitat loss, harvest,
  introduced species and contaminants.
• Contaminants probably are having a negative
  effect.

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Conceptual model for shiner surf perch declines
sewage, street runoff, atmospheric sources, et.c
Breeding population
females
males
PAH organophos- phate pesticides pharma- ceuticals
, DDTs, PCBs, chlorinated pesticides, carbamate p
esticides
Early gametogenesis yolk
Late gametogenesis
Recreational fishing
Mating
Habitat damage
Internal fertilization
implantation
Disease resistance
gestation
birth
Growth
Foraging
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Objective

• Determine if shiner surfperch (Cymatogaster
  aggregata Embiotocidae) show effects of
  contamination on some aspect of their fitness,
  growth or reproduction.

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Strategy

• 2005
• Field studies relating exposure to growth,
  fitness and reproduction.
• Analyze data reformulate hypotheses.
• Gather archived data.
• 2006
• Follow-up field studies
• Laboratory exposure experiments ?
• Evaluate modeling feasibility.
• Reporting.

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Field studies-2005

• Collect 20 fish each from 2 contaminated 1
  less-contaminated sites.
• Measurements length, weight, sex, no. young,
  growth of young.
• Analyses organic chemicals (carcass), P4501A
  (adult liver,viscera of young).
• EROD (liver), Vtg, histopathology (gills, liver,
  heart).
• Mother-vs-offspring measures P4501A, Some
  histopathology.

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Progress to date

• Collected 36 adults in 10 seine hauls from
  Oakland Middle Harbor (5/9/05) .
• Collected 10 fish from IEP station 106 in
  northern portion of south Bay (5/10/05).
• Collected 26 fish in 15 seine hauls from State
  Park Beach at Candlestick Park, So. San Francisco
  (5/11/05).
• Collected 72 fish in 2 seine hauls at Big River
  estuary, Mendocino County (5/14/05).
• All fish measured, weighed, dissected, sexed,
  young counted and weighed, tissues stored.

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Progress to date (contd)

• Endocrine disrupting chemicals a strong
  possibilitycarry out egg protein analyses
• All fish livers tested were immunopositive for
  Vtg antibody
• Carried out E2 injection study

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Preliminary observations

• All of the fish caught in SF Bay were sexually
  mature. Smaller fish gt8 g from Big River were
  generally not sexually mature.
• All female fish from SF Bay were pregnant except
  2 large females from Candlestick.
• Sex ratio more skewed in SF Bay towards females.
  Big River 50 female Oakland Middle Harbor
  61 Candlestick Park 69.
• The incubating juveniles from SF Bay were further
  developed than those of pregnant females from Big
  River.
• Big River was colder than SF Bay.
• Big River fish are exposed to p4501A inducers

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Preliminary results (contd)

• Livers of All field fish tested strongly positive
  with 2 anti-bodies anti-salmon (Biosense) and
  anti-herring (BML).
• 48-hr E2 injection experiment with 5 mg kg-1 to
  induce ZRP uninjected controls, solvent control,
  injected w E2. YOY fish from Big River were used.
  Plasma of injected fish and controls reacted with
  anti-herring, but not anti-salmon.
• No reliable anti-body identified yet.

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Priorities for additional work in 2005

• 1.Collect POCIS/SPMD samples for confirmation of
  2006 sampling site selection.
• 2. Chemical analyses of POCIS/SPMD contents.
• 3. If surfperch present sample and test blood of
  males for ZRPs.

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SPMD Basics

• Passive sampler
• Time-integrated
• Media-neutral (water, air, soil, sediment)
• Lipophilic compounds at trace levels
  environmentally relevant

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SPMD Basics More Advantages

• Mimics bioconcentration process
• No metabolism of sorbate
• Not susceptible to environmental effects or
  pathogens
• Well-documented, standardized

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Factors that affect SPMDs

• Temperature less problematic than some factors
• Flow greatest impact
• Biofouling impedes contact, hard to control

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SPMD Standard Processing

• SPMD Remove biofoulants
• Hexane dialysis
• Dialysate Concentration, GPC cleanup
• Extract Chemical analysis
• (e.g. GC/MS, GC/ECD)

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Priorities for work in 2006

• Carry out field sampling at SF Bay sites and new
  control site.
• Test for plasma ZRP in new ref. Site.
• Emphasize analyses for EDCs and their effects in
  fish sex ratios reproductive cycle egg
  proteins in males possible sex reversal.
• If histopathology positive in Bay sites this
  year, repeat. Otherwise, drop this aspect.
• Chemical analyses of SPMDs/POCIS.

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The Problem The relative binding capacity of
synthetic chemicals to hormone receptors may be
1/100 to 1/1000 of that of the natural ligand
(e.g., estrogen) and the chemical concentration
may exceed the effective concentration by 100 to
10,000 X.
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The Problem there are numerous and complex
endocrine interactions in reproduction and growth
of fishes(sensory input-endocrine
cascades--feedback loops)
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Agonist for gonadotropin I acceleration of
gametogenesis
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Acceleration of oogenesis in kelp bass dosed
with DDT and PCB
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Sex determination
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Starry flounder in SF Bay
Reproductive success in relationship to a
biomarker of contaminant exposure
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Shiner surf perch is a good choice

• Accumulate high concentrations of contaminants
  (Davis et al., 2001).
• High site fidelity (Fritzsche and Collier 2001).
• Occur from Alaska to Mexico.
• Habitat is in shallows and channels where RMP
  chemical data taken since 1993.
• Analyzed by the sport fish program, included in
  the Pacific States Marine Recreational Fisheries
  Statistics Survey, the IEP.
• Favorite of urban fishermen.
• Populations in decline.
• Live-bearers --annual reproductive output
• (4-36 young annually) can be determined
• in early spring and summer.

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The evidence so far contaminants
1. Starry flounder reproductive dysfunction
linked to P4501A and PCBs (Spies Rice,
1988). 2. Sex reversal and estrogenic effects in
longjaw mud suckers (Cherr et al., unpubl.). 3.
Chinook salmon in upper watershed show high
proportions of females that are phenotypically
male (Williamson and May, 2002). 3. Striped bass
larval growth and histology negatively affected
(Ostrach, unpubl.). 4. Speckeld sanddab histology
(Spies et al., 1993 Gunther et al. 1997). 5.
Herring egg abnormal development (Vines et al.,
2000).