DDT, Chlordane, Toxaphene and PCB Residues in Newport Bay and Watershed: Assessment of Hazard to Wildlife and Human Health - Reviews of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology - page 96

thinning of eggshells and 0.73 young per female. The lower than normal reproductive
success was not attributed to the eggshell thinning, which was described as near
normal. The fi sh were scraps taken from the same nests as the eggs. The fi sh muscle
was analyzed. A crude biomagnifi cation factor can be calculated as 0.43/0.11 = 3.8.
Whole fi sh would undoubtedly give a lower biomagnifi cation factor. The population
of ospreys in Florida is not migratory, remaining in Florida year-round.
Wiemeyer et al. ( 1978 ) reported on studies on osprey reproduction in New Jersey
in the years 1970-1974. Until 1974, these breeding populations had high egg resi-
due levels and poor productivity (Table 12 ). Fish residue data were not reported.
Eggshell thinning is summarized in Table 13 .

Table 12 Average DDE residues in eggs and population status of osprey in New Jersey, 1970-1974.
Data are from Table 2 in Wiemeyer et al. ( 1978 )

p,p -DDE (ppm

wet weight)

′ Population trend and reproductive

success Population Year

Potomic River, Maryland 1968-1969 2.4 Stable population; reproduction

slightly depressed

Lake Coeur d'Alene,
Idaho

1972-1973 8.5 Stable or increasing population;

reproduction normal

Connecticut 1968-1969 8.9 Declining population; reproduction

greatly depressed

Barnegat Bay Area, New
Jersey

1974 16.0 Declining population; reproduction

greatly depressed

Avalon-Stone Harbor,
New Jersey

1970 + 1972 14.0 Declining population; reproduction

greatly depressed

Table 13 Changes in shell thickness of New Jersey osprey eggs. Table 3 in Wiemeyer et al. ( 1978 )
reproduced with permission