Interim report of the HELCOM CORESET project

More documents

Recommendations

Info

10 fi sh stocks and change in diet, or a change in the quality of the diet. The reason for the decreasing trend in blubber thickness in seals is unknown but so far no correlations to disease have been found. The blubber thicknesses and the pregnancy rates of marine mammals can be obtained from institutional necropsies or hunters. By sampling the female reproductive organs (reproductive status), the lower jaw (age determination) and measuring the sternum blubber thickness and reporting the date of death, and sending it to an institute, it should be possible to collect more data than at present. Pregnancy rates in Baltic grey seals and ringed seals During the 1970s and the fi rst half of the 1980s, uterine obstructions causing sterility were commonly found in necropsied Baltic grey seals and Baltic ringed seals (Helle et al. 1976a,b; Olsson 1977; Bergman & Olsson 1985). Since then, the pregnancy rate in the examined Baltic grey seals has increased from 9% (1977-1986) to 60% (1987-1996) (Bergman 1999). In 2008-2009 the pregnancy rate was 88% in 4-20 year old grey seal females. The most recent case of uterine obstruction in grey seals was found in 1993 in Sweden. In the 2000s, about 20% of the examined Baltic ringed seals still suffer from uterine obstructions and the pregnancy rate of 68% in ringed seals in 2001-2009 is therefore probably lower than ‘normal’ (Helle et al., 2005, Kunnasranta et al. 2010). The low gynaecological health among the Baltic seals is most probably explained by high concentrations of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) (Helle et al. 1976a, b; Bredhult et al. 2008). No observations of uterine obstructions in Baltic harbour seals or harbour porpoises have been reported, but there are data on pregnancy rates in these species that needs to be compiled and evaluated. Policy relevance The policy relevance for the indicator “health in marine mammals” is described under criterion 1.3 (Population condition) of 2010/447/EU, the HELCOM recommendation on Conservation of seals in the Baltic area 27-28/2 2006-07-08 with the long-term objective of attaining a health status that secures the continued existence of the populations. In the HELCOM Baltic Sea Action Plan, mammals are partially addressed in the Other Documents -section under Hazardous Substances. The three seal species that are present in the Baltic Sea and harbour porpoise are listed in the Habitats Directive Annexes II and V. Methods to evaluate the core indicators Pregnancy rate Pregnancy rate is measured as the presence or absence of an embryo or foetus during the pregnancy period in mature females (presence of an ovarian Corpus luteum). It is expressed as the percentage of pregnant females in all mature females (age 4-20 years in seals) and it is investigated during the relevant season(s). Grey seals. It is estimated that age-specifi c birth rates increase steeply from the age of four to six (Hamill & Gosselin 1995). The birth rates for the six-year old females in the Northwest Atlantic, British, Norwegian and Baltic populations ranged from 60-91%. In a sample of 526 female grey seals from the Northwest Atlantic, pregnancy rates were estimated from the presence/absence of a foetus. The pregnancy rate for the Northwest Atlantic population was relatively stable at about 90% after the age of six (Hamill & Gosselin 1995; Harding et al. 2007). In the Baltic grey seal population, the pregnancy rate was 88% in 4-20-year old females in 2008-2009 (Figure 2.1). This pregnancy rate seems to be normal in the 4-20-year old Baltic grey seals and indicates that the population is healthy (Figures 2.1 and 2.2). This rate is also close to the pregnancy rate of Northwest Atlantic grey seals older than fi ve years. The pregnancy rate for the 4-5-year old individuals is 65% and for the 6-20-year old individuals is 95.5% among grey seals caught via hunting and as by-catch in 2002-2009 in Sweden (Figure 2.2). Annually, Sweden does not receive more than 4-13 grey seal females between 4 and 20 years of age in the pregnancy period.
% 100 90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 -10 -20 1977-1986 (N=11) Pregnancy rates 1977-2009 1987-1996 (N=20) Period 1997-2007 (N=565) 2008-2009 (N=44) Pregnant 4-20 years old Figure 2.1. Pregnancy rates, mean values and one-sided 95% confi dence intervals for a proportion, in 4-20-year old female Baltic grey seals (August to reproductive season). Finnish data is included in the period 1997-2007. % pregnant 110 100 90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 August-February 2002-2009 4-5 years old (N=26) 6-20 years old (N=45) Age 4-20 years old (N=71) ALL Pregnant Figure 2.2. Pregnancy rates, mean values and one-sided 95% confi dence intervals for a proportion, in examined 4-20-year old grey seal females from by-catch or hunt in Sweden 2002-2009, divided into 4-5year old and 6-20-year old seals. Ringed seals. The number of 4-20-year old Baltic female ringed seals and Baltic harbour seals (Kalmarsund population) that are investigated annually during the pregnancy period is very small. In Figure 2.3, pregnancy rate of a total number of 19 ringed seals examined 1981-2009 is shown. The pregnancy rate in ringed seals was 68% in 2001-2009 (limited sample size) compared to 84.5% in grey seals. Also, the ringed seals are still suffering from uterine occlusions. Data from harbour seal and harbour porpoise investigations remains to be compiled and evaluated. 11
Page 1: Baltic Sea Environment Proceedings
Page 4 and 5: 2 Helsinki Commission Katajanokanla
Page 6 and 7: 4 4.16. Cumulative impact on benthi
Page 8 and 9: 6 descriptions of the indicators. T
Page 10 and 11: 8 The CORESET expert group on biodi
Page 14 and 15: 12 Figure 2.3. The prevalence of pr
Page 16 and 17: 14 Seasonal changes in blubber thic
Page 18 and 19: 16 Blubber thickness suggestions Bl
Page 20 and 21: 18 Weaknesses/gaps Monitoring of th
Page 22 and 23: 20 2.3. Population growth rate of m
Page 24 and 25: 22 Annual adult survival 1 0,95 0,9
Page 26 and 27: 24 Existing monitoring data Informa
Page 28 and 29: 26 References Bäcklin, B. M. 2011.
Page 30 and 31: 28 Reproduction in the Baltic eagle
Page 32 and 33: 30 Breeding success The proportion
Page 34 and 35: 32 of the real number of nestlings
Page 36 and 37: 34 Gaps and weaknesses Minimum dete
Page 38 and 39: 36 2.5. Abundance of wintering popu
Page 40 and 41: 38 Table 2.10. Pressures affecting
Page 42 and 43: 40 Refrences Skov et al. (2000) Bir
Page 44 and 45: 42 termined by application of the 7
Page 46 and 47: 44 Approach for defi ning GES All s
Page 48 and 49: 46 Sampling It is suggested to incl
Page 50 and 51: 48 2.7. Fish population abundance 2
Page 52 and 53: 50 Coastal Fish - Community Abundan
Page 54 and 55: 52 When a reference data set cannot
Page 56 and 57: 54 well, but were not included in t
Page 58 and 59: 56 Weighting For Nordic Costal mult
Page 60 and 61: 58 12. Current monitoring Monitored
Page 62 and 63:
60 Błeńska M., Osowiecki A., Kra
Page 64 and 65:
62 10. Spatial considerations Fucus
Page 66 and 67:
64 2.15. Trend in the arrival of ne
Page 68 and 69:
66 jectives is to reach “No intro
Page 70 and 71:
68 Sweden Figure 2.23 shows the rat
Page 72 and 73:
70 Strengths and weaknesses of data
Page 74 and 75:
72 need to be revisited in light of
Page 76 and 77:
74 Considering the data set availab
Page 78 and 79:
76 In Denmark, the highest contamin
Page 80 and 81:
78 Status of a compound on internat
Page 82 and 83:
80 A temporal analysis (EU-RAR 2006
Page 84 and 85:
82 Pathways of PFOS to the Baltic e
Page 86 and 87:
84 In regions less affected by anth
Page 88 and 89:
86 3.4. Polychlorinated biphenyls a
Page 90 and 91:
88 actions related to the environme
Page 92 and 93:
90 The CORESET expert group decided
Page 94 and 95:
92 pheric deposition pattern (lowes
Page 96 and 97:
94 3.5. Polyaromatic hydrocarbons (
Page 98 and 99:
96 GES boundaries and matrix Existi
Page 100 and 101:
98 Quality Assurance of PAH metabol
Page 102 and 103:
100 Ariese F, Burgers I, Oudhoff K,
Page 104 and 105:
102 GES boundaries and matrices Exi
Page 106 and 107:
104 3.7. Cesium-137 Authors: Jürge
Page 108 and 109:
106 Figure 3.5. Average surface lev
Page 110 and 111:
108 Temporal trends in concentratio
Page 112 and 113:
110 Other important sources are glo
Page 114 and 115:
112 Conceptual model of the sources
Page 116 and 117:
114 3.8 Tributyltin (TBT) and the i
Page 118 and 119:
116 GES boundaries and matrix Exist
Page 120 and 121:
118 Monitoring the compound Status
Page 122 and 123:
120 Recommendation TBT measurements
Page 124 and 125:
122 3. Frogs have been shown to app
Page 126 and 127:
124 not fi sh (Köhler et al. 2002;
Page 128 and 129:
126 The use of different fi sh spec
Page 130 and 131:
128 Kirchin, M.A. Moore, M.N. Dean,
Page 132 and 133:
130 3.11. Fish Disease Index: Exter
Page 134 and 135:
132 Confounding factors The multifa
Page 136 and 137:
134 analyses ICES data from various
Page 138 and 139:
136 An EAC is the threshold beyond
Page 140 and 141:
138 3.12. Micronucleus test Authors
Page 142 and 143:
140 main nuclei were not counted as
Page 144 and 145:
142 ing national data sets. Note: t
Page 146 and 147:
144 Baršienė J. Rybakovas A. 2006
Page 148 and 149:
146 3.13 A. Reproductive disorders
Page 150 and 151:
148 dead larvae can be induced by s
Page 152 and 153:
150 Strand, J, Dahllöf, I. (2005).
Page 154 and 155:
152 of contaminants in sediments wi
Page 156 and 157:
154 Eriksson Wiklund, A-K., and Sun
Page 158 and 159:
156 4. Candidate indicators for bio
Page 160 and 161:
158 Zooplankton-phytoplankton bioma
Page 162 and 163:
160 4.2. By-catch of marine mammals
Page 164 and 165:
162 4.3. Impacts of anthropogenic u
Page 166 and 167:
164 4.4. Fatty-acid composition of
Page 168 and 169:
166 7. Use of the indicator in prev
Page 170 and 171:
168 10. Spatial considerations Balt
Page 172 and 173:
170 4.10. Large fi sh individuals f
Page 174 and 175:
172 11. Temporal considerations Sam
Page 176 and 177:
Page 178 and 179:
Page 180 and 181:
178 A proposal for an approach to a
Page 182 and 183:
180 Technical data Metadata This is
Page 184 and 185:
182 F igure 4.1. Map showing the cu
Page 186 and 187:
184 4.17. Biomass of copepods 1. Wo
Page 188 and 189:
186 4.19. Zooplankton species diver
Page 190 and 191:
188 indirectly impacted by eutrophi
Page 192 and 193:
190 Notes for the GES boundary The
Page 194 and 195:
192 Step 3: Prepare a list of speci
Page 196 and 197:
194 4.22. Phytoplankton diversity 1
Page 198 and 199:
196 4. Policy relevance Nonylphenol
Page 200 and 201:
198 among different studies/measure
Page 202 and 203:
200 4.27. EROD/CYP1A induction The
Page 204 and 205:
202 5.1. Summary of all supplementa
Page 206 and 207:
204 Table 5.1. (continues) Suppleme
Page 208 and 209:
206 5.5. Biopollution level index 1
Page 210 and 211:
208 NIS for aquaculture purposes. O
Page 212 and 213:
210 Balanus improvisus Baltic Katte
Page 214 and 215:
212 Figure 5.3. The scheme for asse
Page 216 and 217:
214 5.6. Organochlorine compounds G
Page 218 and 219:
216 EU Directive 2008/105/ EC Daugh
Page 220 and 221:
218 Table 5.4. Monitoring of HCB, H
Page 222:
www.helcom.fi
show all

Interim report of the HELCOM CORESET project

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?