2007 Status Review of Atlantic sturgeon - National Marine Fisheries ...

chlorinated hydrocarbon compounds can have substantial deleterious effects on aquatic life.
Effects from these elements and compounds on fish include production of acute lesions, growth
retardation and reproductive impairment (Cooper 1989, Sinderman 1994).
Heavy metals and organochlorine compounds accumulate in sturgeon tissue, but their long-term
effects are not known (Ruelle and Henry 1992, Ruelle and Keenlyne 1993). Elevated levels of
contaminants, including chlorinated hydrocarbons, in several other fish species are associated
with reproductive impairment (Cameron et al. 1992, Longwell et al. 1992, Hammerschmidt et al.
2002, Drevnick and Sandheinrich 2003), reduced egg viability (Von Westerhagen et al. 1981,
Giesy et al. 1986, Mac and Edsall 1991, Matta et al. 1997, Billsson et al. 1998), reduced survival
of larval fish (Berlin et al. 1981, Giesy et al. 1986), delayed maturity (Jorgensen et al. 2003) and
posterior malformations (Billsson et al. 1998). Pesticide exposure in fish may affect antipredator
and homing behavior, reproductive function, physiological development, and swimming
speed and distance (Beauvais et al. 2000, Scholz et al. 2000, Moore and Waring 2001, Waring
and Moore 2004). Moser and Ross (1995) suggested that certain deformities and ulcerations
found in Atlantic sturgeon in North Carolina’s Brunswick River might be due to poor water
quality in addition to possible boat propeller inflicted injuries. It should be noted that the effect
of multiple contaminants or mixtures of compounds at sub-lethal levels on fish has not been
adequately studied. Atlantic sturgeon use marine, estuarine, and freshwater habitats and are in
direct contact through water, diet, or dermal exposure with multiple contaminants throughout
their range.
Sensitivity to environmental contaminants varies among fish species and life stages. Early life
stages of fish seem to be more susceptible to environmental and pollutant stress than older life
stages (Rosenthal and Alderdice 1976). In aquatic toxicity tests (Dwyer et al. 2000), Atlantic
sturgeon fry were more sensitive to five contaminants (carbaryl, copper sulfate, 4-nonylphenol,
pentachlorophenol, and permethrin) than fathead minnow (Pimephales promelas), sheepshead
minnow (Cyprinodon variegatus), and rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) - three common
toxicity test species - and 12 other species of threatened and endangered fishes. The authors
note, however, that Atlantic sturgeon were difficult to test and conclusions regarding chemical
sensitivity should be interpreted with caution. Shortnose sturgeon toxicity tests suggested that
this sturgeon species had similar sensitivities to that of the fathead minnow (Dwyer et al. 2005).
Conversely, ongoing research with shovelnose sturgeon (Scaphirhynchus platorhynchus), an
inland sturgeon species, suggests that some sturgeon species may be less sensitive to dioxin, the
most toxic organochlorine compound, than salmonid species (Tillitt et al. 2005).
The relationship between Atlantic sturgeon contamination and human health has been partially
investigated because polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) have been detected in Atlantic sturgeon
flesh from the Saint Lawrence and Hudson rivers (Sloan 1987). PCBs are known to have longterm
deleterious environmental and health effects and are characterized as carcinogenic
(Budavari et al. 1989). The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) banned the
production of PCBs and regulated their disposal because the compound was linked to cancer,
liver damage, skin lesions, and reproductive disorders. To protect human health, the U.S. Food
and Drug Administration set the upper limit for PCBs in the edible portions of fish and shellfish
at 2 µg/g (parts per million) in 1984. Reproductive and developmental effects thresholds for
PCBs in fish, however, may be lower or higher than the human health criterion (Niimi 1996,
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