The mechanisms and effects of endocrine disruption on infertility in the bonnethead shark on Florida's Gulf Coast. Final report.

Abstract

The primary objectives of this study were to determine the degree to which the infertility observed in the bonnethead shark in the Tampa Bay/Anclote River area of Florida was caused by disruption of the shark's endocrine system; to determine the mechanisms of such disruption, and if such disruption affected males or females or both, and if so, what parts of the reproductive cycle were affected; and, to determine if this infertility was correlated with organochlorine levels in the shark's serum and/or liver. Finally, an estimate was made of the effects that the infertility rates observed in three different geographical areas may have on the rate of population growth of the species in the different areas.