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Fish Health and Reproductive Studies at Lake Erie Areas of Concern

This is a research project whose primary objective is to assess the health of selected fish species (brown bullhead and largemouth bass) and compare these findings with historic information on fish health in the individual rivers and with concurrent samples collected at reference sites. A secondary objective is to compare and correlate the fish More...

  • image of fish

Effects of estrogen and related contaminants on the expression of genes involved in the innate immune system of fish in rivers of the Chesapeake Bay Drainage

This research project measures the effects of estrogen and related contaminants on the expression of genes involved in the innate immune system of fish in rivers of the Chesapeake Bay Drainage. This project begs the question of whether or not hepcidin are expression and iNOS expression induced upon exposure to bacteria, and whether this induction More...

  • image of fish

Development of a Bioassay to Quantify Vitellogenin in the Endangered Razorback Sucker followed by Annual Cycle Characterization of Vitellogenin and Steroid Hormones as a Measure of Reproductive Health

This research project objective is to measure vtg and steroid hormones in sexually mature, adult razorback sucker over one annual -estradiol,ß reproductive cycle. We will measure vtg and steroid hormones (17 11-ketotestosterone, and testosterone) in blood plasma of razorback suckers once a month for one year to document concentrations throughout More...

  • Razorback Sucker (Xyrauchen texanus)

Water Use in Florida, 2005 and Trends 1950-2005

Water is among Florida's most valued resources. The State has more than 1,700 streams and rivers, 7,800 freshwater lakes, 700 springs, 11 million acres of wetlands, and underlying aquifers yielding quantities of freshwater necessary for both human and environmental needs (Fernald and Purdum, 1998). Although renewable, these water resources are More...

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Relations between and among contaminant concentrations and biomarkers in black bass (Micropterus spp.) and common carp (Cyprinus carpio) from large U.S. rivers, 1995-2004

Environmental contaminant and biomarker monitoring data from major U.S. river basins were summarized for black bass (Micropterus spp.) and common carp (Cyprinus carpio) sampled over a nine year period. Cumulative frequency distributions revealed taxon differences for many organochlorine residue concentrations, elemental contaminant concentrations, More...

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Biomonitoring of Environmental Status and Trends (BEST) Program: Environmental Contaminants, Health Indicators, and Reproductive Biomarkers in Fish from the Colorado River Basin

This report documents the spatial trends in the concentrations of accumulative contaminants and assesses the contaminant effects on the fish from the Colorado River Basin.

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Sediment-Contaminant Database for the Upper Mississippi River System (version 2)

The Sediment-Contaminant Database for the Upper Mississippi River System (version 2) contains reliable sediment-contaminant data from a total of 3950 analyzed sediment samples collected from 1974 through 2000 from the Upper Mississippi River, the Illinois River, and selected tributary streams. Groups of contaminants represented in the database More...

  • logo of the Upper Mississippi River Conservation Committee

The pulse of the estuary: Monitoring and Managing Water Quality in the San Francisco Estuary

The purpose of The Pulse is to make the most important information available on water quality in the San Francisco Estuary accessible to water quality managers, decision-makers, scientists, and the public. An article by USGS scientists Collin Eagles-Smith and Josh Ackerman on mercury bioaccumulation and effects on birds in San Francisco Bay More...

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Environmental Contaminants and their Effects on Fish in the Yukon River Basin

The study described in this report was conducted as part of the USGS Biomonitoring of Environmental Status and Trends (BEST) Program. This project collected, examined, and analyzed 217 fish representing three species at 10 stations in the US portion of the Yukon River Basin (YRB) from May to October 2002. Four sampling sites were located on the More...

  • Aerial view of the Charley River at Yukon

Virtual Fish: Semipermeable Membrane Device (SPMD) Basics

Scientists at the Columbia Environmental Research Center (CERC) have an effective method for determining the amount of contamination in water. This article explains the center's basic approach and also provides a glossary of related technical terms.

  • Membrane of a semipermeable membrane device

Assessment of Selenium and Atrazine Exposure and Effects to Wildlife at the North Platte National Wildlife Refuge, Scottsbluff, Nebraska

The primary goal of the proposed research is to evaluate selenium and atrazine exposure and effects to fish, amphibians, and waterfowl that utilize the Refuge. The following subordinate objectives will be met to investigate selenium exposure and effects to wildlife on the Refuge: 1.Measure selenium concentrations and total organic content in More...

  • map showing levels of usage of atrazine in the USA

Chemical Contamination of Hatchery Fish Feed

This project addresses the occurrence of metal and organochlorine contaminant residues in commercial feeds purchased by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) hatcheries. Research into fish feed quality could benefit all hatchery and aquaculture operations and assist in the interpretation of the effects of pollution on wild fish. Results from More...

  • Salmon with broken back syndrome