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.
Motility of sperm from adult largemouth bass pond exposure to 17 alpha-ethinylestradiol or estrone-atrazine mixture (2018)
Water chemistry and fish metrics data for adult largemouth bass exposed in outdoor ponds to 17alpha-ethinylestradiol or an estrone-atrazine mixture
Water Chemistry and Smallmouth Bass Biological Data From the Potomac River, Dargan, Maryland, 2013-2019
Data supporting: Draft Genome Sequence of a Novel Calicivirus from a Brown Bullhead (Ameiurus nebulosus) from Lake Memphremagog, VT
Chemical and biological data from a study on sensitivity of a unionid mussel (Lampsilis siliquoidea) to a permitted effluent and elevated potassium
Biological variables and liver and testes transcript abundance from smallmouth bass sampled in the Lake Erie drainage, Pennsylvania (2016)
Chemical and biological data from a study on method development for a short term 7 day sodium chloride and mock effluent toxicity tests with unionid mussels
Presence/Absence of Myxobolus inornatus, Aeromonas spp., and Flavobacterium spp. in Young-of-the-Year Smallmouth Bass with Fluorescence In Situ Hybridization
Morphometric, Age, Visible Abnormalities, Skin and Liver Neoplasms, and Stable Isotopes in White Sucker Collected in the St. Louis River and Estuary, Minnesota/Wisconsin, 2011-2015
Morphometric, Age and Concentrations of Perfluoroalkyl Substances in Smallmouth Bass Plasma from Four Sites in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed
Metabarcoding data from freshwater mussel eDNA collected in Clinch River, Virginia 2017
Mucket eDNA detection in Wallen's Bend, Clinch river, Tennessee, September 2019
Below are publications associated with this science team.
Declines in reproductive condition of male largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) following seasonal exposure to estrogenic endocrine-disrupting compounds
A case study: Temporal trends of environmental stressors and reproductive health of smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieu) from a site in the Potomac River Watershed, Maryland, USA
Potential health effects of contaminant mixtures from point and nonpoint sources on fish and frogs in the New Jersey Pinelands
Draft genome sequence of a novel calicivirus from a brown bullhead (Ameiurus nebulosus) from Lake Memphremagog, Vermont/Quebec
Temporal trends in macroscopic indicators of fish health in the South Branch of the Potomac River
Reproductive health and endocrine disruption in smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieu) from the Lake Erie drainage, Pennsylvania, USA
Development of a multiplex fluorescence in situ hybridization assay to identify coinfections in young-of-the-year smallmouth bass
Method development for a short-term 7-day toxicity test with unionid mussels
The sensitivity of a unionid mussel (Lampsilis siliquoidea) to a permitted effluent and elevated potassium in the effluent
Targeted and non-targeted analysis of young-of-year smallmouth bass using comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography coupled with time-of-flight mass spectrometry
Identification of Aphanomyces invadans, the cause of epizootic ulcerative syndrome, in smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieu) from the Cheat River, West Virginia, USA
Biological and anthropogenic influences on macrophage aggregates in white perch Morone americana from Chesapeake Bay, USA
- 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
The team determines the pathology of raised black tumors on brown bullhead. The team has histopathologists that study effects at a microscopic scale. This image shows the micrograph of testes from male smallmouth bass that are checked for abnormal tissues. - 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: 13Motility of sperm from adult largemouth bass pond exposure to 17 alpha-ethinylestradiol or estrone-atrazine mixture (2018)
Adult largemouth bass have been shown to be sensitive to induction of intersex in response to chronic estrogen exposures over a complete reproductive cycle. Late summer to fall is the period of early gonad recrudescence when spermatogenesis is beginning in preparation for the spawning season in the spring. Our objective was to assess in 2018 whether early gonad recrudescence was a period of sensitWater chemistry and fish metrics data for adult largemouth bass exposed in outdoor ponds to 17alpha-ethinylestradiol or an estrone-atrazine mixture
Physiological endpoints observed in adult largemouth bass in response to an EE2 (17 alpha-ethinylestradiol) or mixture of estrone and atrazine exposure under laboratory pond conditions. Also included are water quality and chemical concentration data. Adult LMB were exposed in outdoor pond mesocosms from post-spawning to early gonad recrudescence to either EE2 (2.4 nanograms per liter), or a mixturWater Chemistry and Smallmouth Bass Biological Data From the Potomac River, Dargan, Maryland, 2013-2019
Decades of poor reproductive success and young-of-the-year recruitment, in addition to adult mortality, has led to a decline in the smallmouth bass (SMB) population in subwatersheds of the Potomac River. Previous studies have identified numerous biologic and environmental stressors associated with negative effects on SMB health. To better understand the impact of these stressors, the current studyData supporting: Draft Genome Sequence of a Novel Calicivirus from a Brown Bullhead (Ameiurus nebulosus) from Lake Memphremagog, VT
We report a draft genome of a previously undescribed calicivirus from a single brown bullhead inhabiting Lake Memphremagog, Vermont/Quebec. The genome is 7413 nt in length and is most similar to the Atlantic salmon calicivirus (nucleotide identity: 64.7%).Chemical and biological data from a study on sensitivity of a unionid mussel (Lampsilis siliquoidea) to a permitted effluent and elevated potassium
The data release includes data from four studies: (1) toxicity of a permitted effluent, which entered the Deep Fork River (DFR), Oklahoma, USA, to a unionid mussel (Lampsilis siliquoidea) and to 2 standard test species (cladoceran Ceriodaphnia dubia; and fathead minnow Pimephales promelas) in short-term 7-d effluent tests; (2) relative sensitivities of the 3 species to potassium (K), an elevated mBiological variables and liver and testes transcript abundance from smallmouth bass sampled in the Lake Erie drainage, Pennsylvania (2016)
In 2016, smallmouth bass were collected from three sites in the Lake Erie drainage in Erie County, Pennsylvania and an out-of-basin site in the Allegheny River drainage in order to assess reproductive health and identify endocrine disruption responses. Pieces of liver and gonad were taken in Z-Fix and RNALater for histology and transcript abundance analysis. A landscape analysis was conducted forChemical and biological data from a study on method development for a short term 7 day sodium chloride and mock effluent toxicity tests with unionid mussels
The data consists of the responses (survival, growth, and/or reproduction) of test organisms were determined in six concentrations of toxicants in 7-day toxicity tests or in four different feeding rates in 7-day feeding experiments. Specifically we evaluated the sensitivity of 2 mussel species (Villosa constricta and Lampsilis siliquoidea) and P. promelas and C. dubia using effluents in 7-d exposuPresence/Absence of Myxobolus inornatus, Aeromonas spp., and Flavobacterium spp. in Young-of-the-Year Smallmouth Bass with Fluorescence In Situ Hybridization
Histopathological assessments of young-of-the-year smallmouth bass (YOY SMB) in the Susquehanna River drainage identified a high prevalence of the myxozoan Myxobolus inornatus. This myxozoan infects the connective tissue of the muscle below the skin but is sometimes observed in the esophagus and buccal cavity. In some instances, shallow infections cause breaks in the skin which could increase theMorphometric, Age, Visible Abnormalities, Skin and Liver Neoplasms, and Stable Isotopes in White Sucker Collected in the St. Louis River and Estuary, Minnesota/Wisconsin, 2011-2015
The dataset provides length, weight, age, observations of visible external abnormalities, liver and skin histopathology and stable isotopes of white sucker captured within the St. Louis river and associated bays.Morphometric, Age and Concentrations of Perfluoroalkyl Substances in Smallmouth Bass Plasma from Four Sites in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed
Archived plasma from fish health monitoring sites within the Chesapeake Bay watershed was analyzed for 13 perfluoroalkyl compounds. Smallmouth bass were collected from two sites in the Potomac River drainage (Antietam Creek, Maryland and South Branch Potomac, West Virginia) and two in the Susquehanna River drainage (West Branch Mahantango Creek, Pennsylvania and Pine Creek, Pennsylvania). Site andMetabarcoding data from freshwater mussel eDNA collected in Clinch River, Virginia 2017
Data from metabarcoding assays to detect a suite of mussel species using mitochondrial DNA regions of the cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) and NADH dehydrogenase subunit (ND1) genes sequences.Mucket eDNA detection in Wallen's Bend, Clinch river, Tennessee, September 2019
The data describe the technical performance of a designed qPCR assay for the detection of mucket (Actinonaias ligamentina) eDNA from field collected water samples. Parameters described include the sequences of the primers and probes used; the limit of detection and limit of quantification for the assay; a list of freshwater mussels species that were used to test specificity of the assay; and in si - Publications
Below are publications associated with this science team.
Filter Total Items: 31Declines in reproductive condition of male largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) following seasonal exposure to estrogenic endocrine-disrupting compounds
Reproductive abnormalities, that could lead to possible effects at the population level, have been observed in wild fish throughout the United States, with high prevalence in largemouth bass (LMB; Micropterus salmoides) and smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieu). Estrone (E1) and atrazine (ATR) are common environmental contaminants often associated with agricultural land use. 17alpha-ethinylestradAuthorsJessica Kristin Leet, Catherine A. Richter, Robert Gale, Donald E. Tillitt, Jill JenkinsA case study: Temporal trends of environmental stressors and reproductive health of smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieu) from a site in the Potomac River Watershed, Maryland, USA
Decades of poor reproductive success and young-of-the-year survival, combined with adult mortality events, have led to a decline in the smallmouth bass (SMB; Micropterus dolomieu) population in sections of the Potomac River. Previous studies have identified numerous biologic and environmental stressors associated with negative effects on SMB health. To better understand the impact of these stressoAuthorsHeather L. Walsh, Stephanie Gordon, Adam J. Sperry, Michael Kashiwagi, John E. Mullican, Vicki S. BlazerPotential health effects of contaminant mixtures from point and nonpoint sources on fish and frogs in the New Jersey Pinelands
Aquatic ecosystems convey complex contaminant mixtures from anthropogenic pollution on a global scale. Point (e.g., municipal wastewater) and nonpoint sources (e.g., stormwater runoff) are both drivers of contaminant mixtures in aquatic habitats. The objectives of this study were to identify the contaminant mixtures present in surface waters impacted by both point and nonpoint sources, to determinAuthorsSara Breitmeyer, Heather L. Walsh, Vicki S. Blazer, John F. Bunnell, Patrick M. Burritt, Jeff Dragon, Michelle Hladik, Paul Bradley, Kristin Romanok, Kelly SmallingDraft genome sequence of a novel calicivirus from a brown bullhead (Ameiurus nebulosus) from Lake Memphremagog, Vermont/Quebec
We report a draft genome sequence of a previously undescribed calicivirus from a single brown bullhead inhabiting Lake Memphremagog, Vermont/Quebec. The genome is 7,413 nucleotides long and is most similar to the Atlantic salmon calicivirus (nucleotide identity; 64.7%).AuthorsLuke R. Iwanowicz, Vicki S. Blazer, Tom Jones, Matthew Bodnar, Korin Ekholm, Julie Dragon, Peter EmmersonTemporal trends in macroscopic indicators of fish health in the South Branch of the Potomac River
Over recent decades, the South Branch of the Potomac River, WV, has experienced fish kills and episodes of suppressed health in adult fishes that have spanned small stretches to nearly 120 km of contiguous habitat. Although factors such as endocrine disruption, chemical contaminants, and infectious agents have been detected, no single causal mechanism has been identified. To gain information aboutAuthorsBrandon J. Keplinger, James Hedrick, Vicki S. BlazerReproductive health and endocrine disruption in smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieu) from the Lake Erie drainage, Pennsylvania, USA
Smallmouth bass Micropterus dolomieu were sampled from three sites within the Lake Erie drainage (Elk Creek, Twentymile Creek, and Misery Bay, an embayment in Presque Isle Bay). Plasma, tissues for histopathological analyses, and liver and testes preserved in RNALater® were sampled from 30 smallmouth bass (of both sexes) at each site. Liver and testes samples were analyzed for transcript abundanceAuthorsHeather L. Walsh, Sean D. Rafferty, Stephanie Gordon, Vicki S. BlazerDevelopment of a multiplex fluorescence in situ hybridization assay to identify coinfections in young-of-the-year smallmouth bass
Histopathological assessments of young-of-the-year (age-0) Smallmouth Bass Micropterus dolomieu in the Susquehanna River drainage identified a high prevalence of the myxozoan Myxobolus inornatus. This myxozoan infects the connective tissue of the muscle below the skin but is sometimes observed in the esophagus and buccal cavity. In some instances, shallow infections cause breaks in the skin, whichAuthorsHeather L. Walsh, Vicki S. Blazer, Patricia M. MazikMethod development for a short-term 7-day toxicity test with unionid mussels
The US Environmental Protection Agency's short-term freshwater effluent test methods include a fish (Pimephales promelas), a cladoceran (Ceriodaphnia dubia), and a green alga (Raphidocelis subcapitata). There is a recognized need for additional taxa to accompany the three standard species for effluent testing. An appropriate additional taxon is unionid mussels because mussels are widely distributeAuthorsNing Wang, James L. Kunz, Douglas K. Hardesty, Jeffery A. Steevens, Teresa J. Norberg-King, Edward J. Hammer, Candice R. Bauer, Tom Augspurger, Suzanne Dunn, David Martinez, M. Christopher Barnhart, Jordan Murray, Marcus Bowersox, John F. Roberts, Robert B. Bringolf, Robert Ratajczak, Serena Ciparis, W. Gregory Cope, Sean B. Buczek, Daniel Farrar, Lauren May, Mailee Garton, Patricia L. Gillis, James Bennett, Joseph Salerno, Brian Hester, Richard Lockwood, Christopher Tarr, Dennis McIntyre, Jonathan WardellThe sensitivity of a unionid mussel (Lampsilis siliquoidea) to a permitted effluent and elevated potassium in the effluent
Freshwater mussels are one of the most imperiled groups of animals in the world and are among the most sensitive species to a variety of chemicals. However, little is known about the sensitivity of freshwater mussels to wastewater effluents. The objectives of the present study were to (1) assess the toxicity of a permitted effluent, which entered the Deep Fork River, Oklahoma (USA), to a unionid mAuthorsJames L. Kunz, Ning Wang, David Martinez, Suzanne Dunn, Danielle M. Cleveland, Jeffery A. SteevensTargeted and non-targeted analysis of young-of-year smallmouth bass using comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography coupled with time-of-flight mass spectrometry
Smallmouth bass in the Susquehanna River Basin, Chesapeake Bay Watershed, USA, have been exhibiting clinical signs of disease and reproductive endocrine disruption (e.g., intersex, male plasma vitellogenin) for over fifteen years. Previous histological and targeted chemical analyses have identified infectious agents and pollutants in fish tissues including organic contaminants, mercury, and perfluAuthorsPaige Teehan, Megan K. Schall, Vicki S. Blazer, Frank L DormanIdentification of Aphanomyces invadans, the cause of epizootic ulcerative syndrome, in smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieu) from the Cheat River, West Virginia, USA
The oomycete Aphanomyces invadans (Saprolegniales, Oomycetes), the cause of epizootic ulcerative syndrome (EUS), is an OIE (World Organization for Animal Health) reportable pathogen, capable of infecting many fish species worldwide in both freshwater and estuarine environments (Iberahim et al. 2018). Since the discovery of EUS in Japan in 1971 (Egusa and Masuda 1971), it has spread globally and caAuthorsHeather L. Walsh, Vicki S. Blazer, Patricia M. MazikBiological and anthropogenic influences on macrophage aggregates in white perch Morone americana from Chesapeake Bay, USA
The response of macrophage aggregates in fish to a variety of environmental stressors has been useful as a biomarker of exposure to habitat degradation. Total volume of macrophage aggregates (MAV) was estimated in the liver and spleen of white perch Morone americana from Chesapeake Bay using stereological approaches. Hepatic and splenic MAV were compared between fish populations from the rural ChoAuthorsMark A Matsche, Vicki S. Blazer, Erin Pulster, Patricia M. Mazik