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William W. Bowerman,¹ John P. Giesy,¹ David A. Best,² and Vincent J. Kramer¹

¹Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Pesticide Research Center, and Institute for Environmental Toxicology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan; ²USDI-Fish and Wildlife Service, East Lansing, Michigan

Abstract

The bald eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) population in North America declined greatly after World War II due primarily to the eggshell thinning effects of p,p'-DDE, a biodegradation product of DDT. After the banning of DDT in the United States and Canada during the early 1970s, the bald eagle population started to increase. However, this population recovery has not been uniform. Eagles nesting along the shorelines of the North American Great Lakes and rivers open to spawning runs of anadromous fishes from the Great Lakes still exhibit impaired reproduction. We have explored both ecological and toxicological factors that would limit reproduction of bald eagles in the Great Lakes region. Based on our studies, the most critical factors influencing eagle populations are concentrations of environmental toxicants. While there might be some continuing effects of DDE, total PCBs and most importantly 2,3,7,8-tetrachlordibenzo-p-dioxin equivalents (TCDD-EQ) in fishes from the Great Lakes and rivers open to spawning runs of anadromous fishes from the Great Lakes currently represent a significant hazard to bald eagles living along these shorelines or near these rivers and are most likely related to the impaired reproduction in bald eagles living there. -- Environ Health Perspect 103(Suppl 4) :00-00 (1995)

Key words: bald eagle, DDT/DDE, Great Lakes, Haliaeetus leucocephalus, reproduction, PCBs, TCDD-EQ