Fishing and Hunting Integrated Science Team Active
The Fishing and Hunting integrated science team focuses on contaminant and pathogen exposures in the environment that could impact the presence and vitality of fish and wildlife populations that drive commercial, recreational and subsistence activities such as hunting and fishing. If actual risks are identified this project will inform how to economically and effectively minimize risk by providing scientific data and understandings about the environmental transport, fate, and exposure pathways of contaminants and pathogens. Emphasis will be placed on addressing these issues on public and Department of the Interior managed landscapes.
Fish and wildlife that are healthy, abundant, and safe to eat drive many economically valuable commercial, recreational, and subsistence activities, and are a treasured part of the American landscape.
Contaminant and pathogen exposures are known to influence these natural resources. Team scientists together with other federal, state, and university collaborators, conduct scientific research that provides information to economically and effectively minimize risk to fish and wildlife by understanding the environmental transport, fate, exposure pathways, and potential effects of contaminants and pathogens. Because fish and wildlife can move over sometimes large distances, the Team studies exposure to contaminants and pathogens across landscapes, particularly on public lands and those managed by the U.S. Department of the Interior.
Current Science Questions and Activities
- Are sport fish in the Northeast U.S. exposed to chemical contaminants that are adversely affecting their health, reproduction and populations?
- How important are contaminants in relation to other risk factors (climatic, water quality, parasite, pathogen) influencing adverse health effects in Northeast United States sport fish?
- What is the susceptibility of black bass to formation of intersex from exposure to endocrine disrupting contaminants?
- Do exposures to endocrine disrupting contaminants during early development cause adverse outcomes later in life in wild fish.
- Are sublethal contaminant exposures causing waterfowl mortalities due to secondary factors such as starvation?
- What are the land use, habitat, and ecological factors that control pesticide and mercury exposures in sportfish from the Columbia River Basin?
- Are pesticide and mercury concentrations correlated with biomarkers of adverse health impacts of sportfish in the Columbia River Basin?
- Is there a human health risk due to pesticide and mercury in sportfish harvested from the Columbia River basin?
- Is the body condition of ducks harvested by hunters in the Pacific Flyway adversely impacted by environmental mercury exposures?
- Is there a human health risk due to mercury in ducks harvested in the Pacific Flyway?
- Are viruses risk factors associated with the genesis of liver or skin tumors?
The following are the data releases from this science team’s research activities.
Estrogen equivalents of surface water and smallmouth bass estrogenic biomarker data in New Jersey, 2016-2017
Below are publications associated with this science team.
Environmental and anthropogenic drivers of contaminants in agricultural watersheds with implications for land management
Widespread use of the nitrification inhibitor nitrapyrin: Assessing benefits and costs to agriculture, ecosystems, and environmental health
Groundwater discharges as a source of phytoestrogens and other agriculturally derived contaminants to streams
Assessing the ecological risks of per‐ and polyfluoroalkyl substances: Current state‐of‐the science and a proposed path forward
Per‐ and poly‐fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) encompass a large, heterogenous group of chemicals of potential concern to human health and the environment. Based on information for a few relatively well‐understood PFAS such as perfluorooctane sulfonate and perfluorooctanoate, there is ample basis to suspect that at least a subset can be considered persistent, bioaccumulative, and/or toxic. However, d
Assessment of microscopic pathology in fishes collected at sites impacted by wood tar in Pennsylvania
Reconnaissance of surface water estrogenicity and the prevalence of intersex in smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieu) inhabiting New Jersey
Malignant melanoma of Brown Bullhead (Ameiurus nebulosus) in Lake Memphremagog, Vermont/Quebec
Contaminant concentrations in sediments, aquatic invertebrates, and fish in proximity to rail tracks used for coal transport in the Pacific Northwest: A baseline assessment
Estrogen receptor 1 expression and methylation of Esr1 promoter in mouse fetal prostate mesenchymal cells induced by gestational exposure to bisphenol A or ethinylestradiol
Toward sustainable environmental quality: Priority research questions for North America
Atrazine induced transgenerational reproductive effects in medaka (Oryzias latipes)
Bisphenol A and 17 alpha-ethinylestradiol-induced transgenerational differences in expression of osmoregulatory genes in the gill of medaka (Oryzias latipes)
- Overview
The Fishing and Hunting integrated science team focuses on contaminant and pathogen exposures in the environment that could impact the presence and vitality of fish and wildlife populations that drive commercial, recreational and subsistence activities such as hunting and fishing. If actual risks are identified this project will inform how to economically and effectively minimize risk by providing scientific data and understandings about the environmental transport, fate, and exposure pathways of contaminants and pathogens. Emphasis will be placed on addressing these issues on public and Department of the Interior managed landscapes.
Fish and wildlife that are healthy, abundant, and safe to eat drive many economically valuable commercial, recreational, and subsistence activities, and are a treasured part of the American landscape.
Contaminant and pathogen exposures are known to influence these natural resources. Team scientists together with other federal, state, and university collaborators, conduct scientific research that provides information to economically and effectively minimize risk to fish and wildlife by understanding the environmental transport, fate, exposure pathways, and potential effects of contaminants and pathogens. Because fish and wildlife can move over sometimes large distances, the Team studies exposure to contaminants and pathogens across landscapes, particularly on public lands and those managed by the U.S. Department of the Interior.
Current Science Questions and Activities
- Are sport fish in the Northeast U.S. exposed to chemical contaminants that are adversely affecting their health, reproduction and populations?
- How important are contaminants in relation to other risk factors (climatic, water quality, parasite, pathogen) influencing adverse health effects in Northeast United States sport fish?
- What is the susceptibility of black bass to formation of intersex from exposure to endocrine disrupting contaminants?
- Do exposures to endocrine disrupting contaminants during early development cause adverse outcomes later in life in wild fish.
- Are sublethal contaminant exposures causing waterfowl mortalities due to secondary factors such as starvation?
- What are the land use, habitat, and ecological factors that control pesticide and mercury exposures in sportfish from the Columbia River Basin?
- Are pesticide and mercury concentrations correlated with biomarkers of adverse health impacts of sportfish in the Columbia River Basin?
- Is there a human health risk due to pesticide and mercury in sportfish harvested from the Columbia River basin?
- Is the body condition of ducks harvested by hunters in the Pacific Flyway adversely impacted by environmental mercury exposures?
- Is there a human health risk due to mercury in ducks harvested in the Pacific Flyway?
- Are viruses risk factors associated with the genesis of liver or skin tumors?
- Data
The following are the data releases from this science team’s research activities.
Filter Total Items: 13Estrogen equivalents of surface water and smallmouth bass estrogenic biomarker data in New Jersey, 2016-2017
The data were gathered as a preliminary assessment of estrogenicity under base-flow conditions at over 100 sites (lakes and streams) throughout New Jersey followed by more targeted sampling of smallmouth bass at nine sites with varying levels of estrogenicity. In 2016, 102 sites (lakes and streams) for the preliminary estrogenicity assessment were selected utilizing compiled results of previous mo - Publications
Below are publications associated with this science team.
Filter Total Items: 31Environmental and anthropogenic drivers of contaminants in agricultural watersheds with implications for land management
If not managed properly, modern agricultural practices can alter surface and groundwater quality and drinking water resources resulting in potential negative effects on aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. Exposure to agriculturally derived contaminant mixtures has the potential to alter habitat quality and negatively affect fish and other aquatic organisms. Implementation of conservation practicesAuthorsKelly L. Smalling, Olivia H. Devereux, Stephanie Gordon, Patrick J. Phillips, Vicki S. Blazer, Michelle Hladik, Dana W. Kolpin, Michael T. Meyer, Adam Sperry, Tyler WagnerByEcosystems Mission Area, Water Resources Mission Area, Contaminant Biology, Environmental Health Program, Toxic Substances Hydrology, California Water Science Center, Central Midwest Water Science Center, Chesapeake Bay Activities, Eastern Ecological Science Center, Kansas Water Science Center, New Jersey Water Science Center, New York Water Science Center, Pennsylvania Water Science CenterWidespread use of the nitrification inhibitor nitrapyrin: Assessing benefits and costs to agriculture, ecosystems, and environmental health
Agricultural production and associated applications of nitrogen (N) fertilizers have increased dramatically in the last century, and current projections to 2050 show that demands will continue to increase as the human population grows. Applied in both organic and inorganic fertilizer forms, N is an essential nutrient in crop productivity. Increased fertilizer applications, however, create the poteAuthorsEmily Woodward, Thea Margaret Edwards, Carrie E Givens, Dana W. Kolpin, Michelle HladikGroundwater discharges as a source of phytoestrogens and other agriculturally derived contaminants to streams
Groundwater discharge zones in streams are important habitats for aquatic organisms. The use of discharge zones for thermal refuge and spawning by fish and other biota renders them susceptible to potential focused discharge of groundwater contamination. Currently, there is a paucity of information about discharge zones as a potential exposure pathway of chemicals to stream ecosystems. Using thermaAuthorsTyler J. Thompson, Martin A. Briggs, Patrick J. Phillips, Vicki S. Blazer, Kelly L. Smalling, Dana W. Kolpin, Tyler WagnerAssessing the ecological risks of per‐ and polyfluoroalkyl substances: Current state‐of‐the science and a proposed path forward
Per‐ and poly‐fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) encompass a large, heterogenous group of chemicals of potential concern to human health and the environment. Based on information for a few relatively well‐understood PFAS such as perfluorooctane sulfonate and perfluorooctanoate, there is ample basis to suspect that at least a subset can be considered persistent, bioaccumulative, and/or toxic. However, d
AuthorsGerald T. Ankley, Philippa Cureton, Robert A. Hoke, Magali Houde, Anupama Kumar, Jessy Kurias, Roman P. Lanno, Chris McCarthy, John L. Newsted, Christopher J. Salice, Bradley E. Sample, Maria S. Sepúlveda, Jeffery Steevens, Sara ValsecchiAssessment of microscopic pathology in fishes collected at sites impacted by wood tar in Pennsylvania
In an effort to determine whether fish populations in an area affected by wood tar waste exhibited health effects, fish were collected and analyzed with histopathology. Multiple species, including Mottled Sculpin (Cottus bairdii), Creek Chub (Semotilus atromaculatus), White Sucker (Catostumus commersonii), Redside Dace (Clinostomus elongatus), Common Shiner (Luxilus cornutus), and Western BlacknosAuthorsHeather L. Walsh, Vicki S. Blazer, Patricia M. Mazik, Adam J. Sperry, Diana PavlickReconnaissance of surface water estrogenicity and the prevalence of intersex in smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieu) inhabiting New Jersey
The observation of testicular oocytes in male fishes has been utilized as a biomarker of estrogenic endocrine disruption. A reconnaissance project led in the Northeastern United States (US) during the period of 2008–2010 identified a high prevalence of intersex smallmouth bass on or near US Fish & Wildlife Service National Wildlife Refuges that included the observation of 100% prevalence in smallmAuthorsLuke Iwanowicz, Kelly L. Smalling, Vicki S. Blazer, Ryan P. Braham, Lakyn R. Sanders, Anna Boetsma, Nick Procopio, Sandra Goodrow, Gary Buchanan, Daniel Millemann, Bruce Ruppel, John Vile, Brian Henning, John AbatemarcoMalignant melanoma of Brown Bullhead (Ameiurus nebulosus) in Lake Memphremagog, Vermont/Quebec
In 2012, brown bullhead (Ameiurus nebulosus) with large, raised, black growths were first reported from multiple areas within the Vermont portion of Lake Memphremagog. Subsequent surveys conducted from 2014 to 2017 at two sites within the lake indicated a prevalence of 30% in adult brown bullhead 200 mm and above total length. These lesions ranged from slightly raised smooth black areas to large nAuthorsVicki S. Blazer, Cassidy H. Shaw, Cheyenne R. Smith, P Emerson, Thomas R. JonesContaminant concentrations in sediments, aquatic invertebrates, and fish in proximity to rail tracks used for coal transport in the Pacific Northwest: A baseline assessment
Railway transport of coal poses an environmental risk because coal dust contains polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), mercury (Hg), and other trace metals. In the Pacific Northwest, proposed infrastructure projects could result in an increase in coal transport by train through the Columbia River corridor. Baseline information is needed on current distributions, levels, and spatial patterns ofAuthorsWhitney B Hapke, Robert W. Black, Collin A. Eagles-Smith, Cassandra Smith, Lyndal Johnson, Gina M Ylitalo, Daryle Boyd, Jay W. Davis, Sara L. Caldwell Eldridge, Elena NilsenEstrogen receptor 1 expression and methylation of Esr1 promoter in mouse fetal prostate mesenchymal cells induced by gestational exposure to bisphenol A or ethinylestradiol
Fetal/neonatal environmental estrogen exposures alter developmental programing of the prostate gland causing onset of diseases later in life. We have previously shown in vitro that exposures to 17β-estradiol (E2) and the endocrine disrupting chemical bisphenol A, at concentrations relevant to human exposure, cause an elevation of estrogen receptor α (Esr1) mRNA in primary cultures of fetal mouse pAuthorsRamji K. Bhandari, Julia A. Taylor, Jennifer Sommerfeld-Sager, Donald E. Tillitt, William A. Ricke, Frederick S. vom SaalToward sustainable environmental quality: Priority research questions for North America
Anticipating, identifying, and prioritizing strategic needs represent essential activities by research organizations. Decided benefits emerge when these pursuits engage globally important environment and health goals, including the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. To this end, horizon scanning efforts can facilitate identification of specific research needs to address grand challengesAuthorsAnne Fairbrother, Derek Muir, Keith R. Solomon, Gerald T. Ankley, Murray A. Rudd, Alistair B. A. Boxall, William J. Adams, Jennifer N. Apell, Kevin L. Armbrust, Bonnie J. Blalock, Sarah R. Bowman, Linda M. Campbell, George P. Cobb, Kristin A. Connors, David A. Dreier, Marlene S. Evans, Carol J. Henry, Robert A. Hoke, Magali Houde, Stephen J. Klaine, Rebecca D. Klaper, Sigrun A. Kullik, Roman P. Lanno, Charles Meyer, Mary Ann Ottinger, Elias Oziolor, Elijah J. Petersen, Helen C. Poynton, Pamela J. Rice, Gabriela Rodriguez-Fuentes, Alan Samel, Joseph R. Shaw, Jeffery Steevens, Tim A. Verslycke, Doris E. Vidal-Dorsch, Scott M. Weir, Peter Wilson, Bryan W. BrooksAtrazine induced transgenerational reproductive effects in medaka (Oryzias latipes)
Atrazine is presently one of the most abundantly used herbicides in the United States, and a common contaminant of natural water bodies and drinking waters in high-use areas. Dysregulation of reproductive processes has been demonstrated in atrazine exposed fish, including alteration of key endocrine pathways on hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis. However, the potential for atrazine-inducedAuthorsJacob A. Cleary, Donald E. Tillitt, Fredrick S. vom Saal, Diane Nicks, Rachel Claunch, Ramji K. BhandariBisphenol A and 17 alpha-ethinylestradiol-induced transgenerational differences in expression of osmoregulatory genes in the gill of medaka (Oryzias latipes)
Embryonic bisphenol A (BPA) and 17α-ethinylestradiol (EE2) exposure can have far reaching health effects in fish, including adult onset transgenerational reproductive abnormalities, anxiety, and cardiac disorders. It is unknown whether these two environmental estrogens can induce transgenerational abnormalities in the gill. The present study examined transgenerational effects of BPA or EE2 exposurAuthorsXuegeng Wang, Diamond Hill, Donald E. Tillitt, Ramji K. Bhandari