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Metals, Trace Elements, Polychlorinated Biphenyls, Organochlorine Pesticides, and Brominated Flame Retardants in Tissues of Barrow’s Goldeneyes (Bucephala islandica) Wintering in the St. Lawrence Marine Ecosystem, Eastern Canada

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Abstract

The eastern North American population of Barrow’s goldeneyes winters in the St. Lawrence Estuary and Gulf of St. Lawrence where the sediments and food web are known to be contaminated with inorganic and organic compounds. Therefore, there is a potential for contamination of this population, which is designated of Special Concern by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada. Specimens were collected during three consecutive winters (2005–2007) in three regions (Manicouagan, Charlevoix, and Chaleur Bay) and analysed for metals, trace elements, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), organochlorine pesticides, and brominated flame retardants (BFRs). Liver mercury levels were greater in the St. Larence Estuary (4.4 mg/kg in Manicouagan, 3.8 mg/kg in Charlevoix) than in Chaleur (2.4 mg/kg), whereas selenium showed the opposite pattern (7.3 mg/kg in Manicouagan, 7.0 mg/kg in Charlevoix, and 36.9 mg/kg in Chaleur). Liver PCB levels were greater in specimens from Manicouagan (236 ng/g) than in those from the two other regions (72 ng/g in Charlevoix, 35 ng/g in Chaleur). DDT was greater in Chaleur (66 ng/g) versus 10 ng/g in Manicouagan and 16 ng/g in Charlevoix. BFRs were not compared among regions because of smaller sample sizes, but mean total concentration was low (4.02 ng/g). Overall, although significant differences were found across regions, levels of all contaminants measured are generally low and not of toxicological concern for this population.

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Acknowledgments

Hélène Laforge and Christian Marcotte provided invaluable assistance in specimen collection in the harsh winter conditions of the St. Lawrence Estuary and Chaleur Bay. The authors express also their gratitude to Vital Chassé, Bertrand Desbiens, Laurent Dufour, Guy Fitzgerald, and Pascale Tremblay who also helped in specimen and tissue collection; to Sandra Labrecque for preparing Fig. 1; to Benoît Jobin and Claudie Latendresse for help with data analysis; and to Catherine Couillard, Michel Lebeuf, and Émilien Pelletier for help in interpretation of the results. Dominique Hamel, Neil Burgess, Bruce Pauli, François Bolduc, and two anonymous reviewers commented on early versions of the manuscript. Funding was provided by Environment Canada.

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  1. Jean-François Ouellet

    Present address: Departments of Biology, Chemistry and Geography, Université du Québec à Rimouski, 300 allée des Ursulines, Rimouski, QC, G5L 3A1, Canada

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Canadian Wildlife Service, Environment Canada, Quebec, QC, G1J 0C3, Canada

    Jean-François Ouellet & Michel Robert

  2. Wildlife and Landscape Science Directorate, Science and Technology Branch, Environment Canada, Quebec, QC, G1J 0C3, Canada

    Louise Champoux

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  1. Jean-François Ouellet
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  2. Louise Champoux
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Correspondence to Louise Champoux.

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Ouellet, JF., Champoux, L. & Robert, M. Metals, Trace Elements, Polychlorinated Biphenyls, Organochlorine Pesticides, and Brominated Flame Retardants in Tissues of Barrow’s Goldeneyes (Bucephala islandica) Wintering in the St. Lawrence Marine Ecosystem, Eastern Canada. Arch Environ Contam Toxicol 63, 429–436 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00244-012-9787-y

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