Canadian Wildlife Service's Herring Gull Monitoring Program: Importance to the development of environmental policy on organohalogens

Abstract

The biological context for the selection of the herring gull (Larus argentatus), from a long list of candidate species, as an indicator of the restoration of Great Lakes water quality is further elaborated. Embryo mortality and deformities in herring gull chicks led to the hypothesis that the Lake Ontario population was exhibiting chick edema disease. Subsequent observation of the suite of lesions associated with chick edema disease in herring gull chicks led to the hypothesis that the Great Lakes were contaminated with polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins. Forensic toxicology, as a collaboration of environmental chemistry, biology and pathology, could form a rational basis for policy decisions about remedial actions to restore extirpated fish and wildlife populations and to protect public health. Key words: indicator, restoration, diagnosis, forensic toxicology, public health.