About
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QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE
- Dr. Ostrach received his bachelor’s degree in Marine Biology and Neuroethology from UC San Diego and his Ph.D. in Comparative Pathology from the School of Veterinary Medicine at UC Davis.
- His more than 40 years experience in aquatic fisheries, aquatic toxicology, pathobiology and ecosystem research has involved an extensive range of skills including:
- zooplankton food chain research
- fish biology & behavior
- aquatic toxicology
- using fish as a model in cancer research
- fish pathology
- histopathology
- contaminant effects on reproduction, development and endocrine disruption
- development and use of immunohistochemical, biochemical & molecular techniques to assess fish health and contaminant exposure
- otolith aging and growth rates
- otolith microgeochemical analyses: electron microprobe and laser ablation multi-collector inductively coupled mass spectrometry methods to access habitat use and its relationship to bioaccumulation of contaminants and fish health
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RESEARCH EXPERIENCE
Dr. Ostrach’s research career began at Scripps Institution of Oceanography investigating microbial degradation of crude oil spills prior to construction of the Alaska pipeline, followed by working on food chain research looking at population growth, feeding, development, and rejection behavior in the copepod Calanus pacificus.
David took a position as Associate Research Scientist and Manager of the Aquatic Toxicology Laboratory at Science Applications Inc. /JRB Associates, Environmental Chemistry and Geochemistry Division in La Jolla, Ca. In that position he was responsible for the design and development of an aquatic toxicology facility including: drafting of original laboratory system plan for static and flow‑through testing, as well as marine and fresh water organism culture.
David's environmental consulting firm, Bioaquatic Consultants specialized in the development of protocols for performance of compliance monitoring and testing for aquatic toxicology, as well as terrestrial impact studies. Dr. Ostrach then moved into the aquaculture business, creating Lazy O Fish Ranch, a 28 acre aquaculture facility involved in the production and sale of various species of fish, algae, plankton, and various organisms for use in aquatic toxicology testing/bioassays.
David has also worked with Native American tribes in Southern California to create fish ponds for food production, income and designed systems to use Aquacultural waste water to irrigate and fertilize food crops. This effort created an environmentally balanced food/crop production system.
From 1987 until 2009, David held positions at UC Davis where he worked on various environmental and cancer research studies.
David designed and supervised the construction of the Aquatic Toxicology Research Laboratory Facility building for the School of Veterinary Medicine at UC Davis. As its first manager, he developed and implemented inland surface water toxicity testing along with state-of-the-art environmental research programs. His efforts led to the Aquatic Toxicology Laboratory at UC Davis being designated as one of the State of California’s inland surface water testing laboratories; funded mainly by the State and Regional Water Quality Control Boards.
In 1988, Dr. Ostrach began investigations into the implications of sub-lethal contaminant exposure on the early life stages of striped bass. This research led to the development of the interdisciplinary research program investigating the long term effects of contaminants and multiple stressors on pelagic fish species in the San Francisco Bay Delta system which is the foundation of Dr. Ostrach’s current research activities.
(CV: David J. Ostrach Ph.D.)
Dr. Ostrach’s research career began at Scripps Institution of Oceanography investigating microbial degradation of crude oil spills prior to construction of the Alaska pipeline, followed by working on food chain research looking at population growth, feeding, development, and rejection behavior in the copepod Calanus pacificus.
David took a position as Associate Research Scientist and Manager of the Aquatic Toxicology Laboratory at Science Applications Inc. /JRB Associates, Environmental Chemistry and Geochemistry Division in La Jolla, Ca. In that position he was responsible for the design and development of an aquatic toxicology facility including: drafting of original laboratory system plan for static and flow‑through testing, as well as marine and fresh water organism culture.
David's environmental consulting firm, Bioaquatic Consultants specialized in the development of protocols for performance of compliance monitoring and testing for aquatic toxicology, as well as terrestrial impact studies. Dr. Ostrach then moved into the aquaculture business, creating Lazy O Fish Ranch, a 28 acre aquaculture facility involved in the production and sale of various species of fish, algae, plankton, and various organisms for use in aquatic toxicology testing/bioassays.
David has also worked with Native American tribes in Southern California to create fish ponds for food production, income and designed systems to use Aquacultural waste water to irrigate and fertilize food crops. This effort created an environmentally balanced food/crop production system.
From 1987 until 2009, David held positions at UC Davis where he worked on various environmental and cancer research studies.
David designed and supervised the construction of the Aquatic Toxicology Research Laboratory Facility building for the School of Veterinary Medicine at UC Davis. As its first manager, he developed and implemented inland surface water toxicity testing along with state-of-the-art environmental research programs. His efforts led to the Aquatic Toxicology Laboratory at UC Davis being designated as one of the State of California’s inland surface water testing laboratories; funded mainly by the State and Regional Water Quality Control Boards.
In 1988, Dr. Ostrach began investigations into the implications of sub-lethal contaminant exposure on the early life stages of striped bass. This research led to the development of the interdisciplinary research program investigating the long term effects of contaminants and multiple stressors on pelagic fish species in the San Francisco Bay Delta system which is the foundation of Dr. Ostrach’s current research activities.
(CV: David J. Ostrach Ph.D.)
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Recently he has been one of several Co-Principal Investigator’s in a United States Fish and Wildlife Service-funded project Contaminants Profile for the San Francisco Bay – Sacramento San Joaquin Delta and Effects of Contaminants on Resident Fish Species. This study involved deployment of Semi-Permeable Membrane Devices (SPMDs) and Polar Organic Integrative Samplers (POCIS) at 4 sites year round in the San Francisco Bay Estuary, to investigate and quantify contaminants found in the water column. Dr. Ostrach’s main role in this project is to use extracts from the devices and inject them into control resident fish to assess physiological responses of the fish to these real world, complex contaminant mixtures, using various histopathological, biochemical, molecular and genetic metrics. SPMDs are biomimetic passive samples that accumulate lipophilic (fat soluble) contaminants in a similar manner and level as occurs during bioaccumulation in fish. Short duration experiments approximating one weeks exposure to the complex mixture at environmental levels were performed using juvenile striped bass as surrogates for endemic endangered resident fish. The results from the SPMD extract exposures indicate that the water from several sites and specific times significantly up regulate several biochemical biomarkers of contaminant exposure including EROD, CYP1A, VTG and MT as well as molecular biomarkers HSP-70 and MX. In addition results showed that multiple biomarkers were elicited at a significant number of sites (35% of sites evaluated) demonstrating multiple contaminant effects at those sites and times. The findings demonstrate that complex chemical mixtures in the estuary water at several sites and specific times accumulated by the SPMDs and subsequently exposed to juvenile striped bass elicited responses indicating that significant sublethal contaminant exposure occurred in the experimental fish. This infers that the water found at these specific sites and times would likely elicit similar responses in resident fish. Therefore the fish living at these specific sites and times would be subjected to sublethal contaminant exposure from the complex chemical mixtures found in the water adversely affecting their health and survival. This type of study helps us to better understand the spatial and temporal nature of complex contaminant mixtures found in the San Francisco Bay Estuary ecosystems water column and the effect they have on the health of endemic endangered fish species.
Dr. Ostrach until recently owned and maintained the only pure strain F-3 striped bass population in captivity on the West Coast of the United States in collaboration with aquaculture facilities. This domestic striped bass broodstock was created using fish captured during the Sacramento River spawning runs, in the late 1980s. This broodstock was used to produce control larvae, juvenile and adult striped bass vital to Dr. Ostrach’s and several other investigators' research programs at UC Davis, UC San Francisco, San Francisco State’s Romberg Tiburon Center and the Moss Landing Marine Laboratory. In addition, Dr. Ostrach provided striped bass larvae and juveniles to private aquaculture and worked with them to produce clean uncontaminated striped bass for human consumption and new broodstock.
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RESEARCH PROGRAM & RECENT PROJECTS
Dr. David Ostrach’s interdisciplinary research program focuses on understanding the long-term effects of contaminant exposure, climate change and multiple stressors on fish populations and ecosystem health.
Dr. Ostrachs Maternal transfer of xenobiotics and effects on larval striped bass n the San Francisco Estuary study published in The Proceedings of the National Academy of Science (PNAS: Maternal Transfer- Ostrach) was the first of several ongoing investigations initiated to determine the contributing effects of timing and route of contaminant exposure, and their physiological and pathological significance on the early life stages of striped bass. Biologically significant levels of polychlorinated biphenyls, polybrominated diphenyl ethers, and current use/legacy pesticides were found in all egg samples from river-collected fish in 1999, 2001 and 2006. Developmental changes previously unseen were detected with a novel technique in the studies conducted in 1999 & 2001. The study was repeated in 2006 & 2007 with similar results demonstrating maternal transfer of contaminants and adverse effects on resident fish in the San Francisco Estuary (SFE) over an 8 year period. Abnormal yolk utilization, brain and liver development, and overall growth were observed in larvae from river-collected fish. Hatchery reared controls from SFE stock cultured striped bass developed normally. Histopathological analyses confirmed and identified developmental alterations in all four years studied. In addition, the more recent studies indicate that the effects of maternal transfer on larval striped bass appear to be getting progressively worse. Severe gross lesions not seen in the earlier studies were found in >90% of 2006 &2007 larvae from river collected females including; abdominal edema, finfold edema and associated necrosis of the epithelium. Severe histopathological lesions in the brains were also found in >65% of these larvae. None of these gross and histopathological lesions were seen in the control larvae (Ostrach, POD Multiple Stressors & Contaminants final report on research). These studies demonstrate that complex mixtures of contaminants are being maternally transferred to developing progeny. The results from this study clearly demonstrate that xenobiotics are adversely affecting early life stage striped bass in the San Francisco Estuary and need to be considered as one of multiple stressors affecting the continuing population decline. As the Principal Investigator for one of the 4 Pelagic Organism Decline (POD) species studies in the San Francisco Estuary System during the past few years, Dr. Ostrach’s lab was responsible for investigating the Role of Contaminants, within the Context of Multiple Stressors, in the Collapse of the Striped Bass Population in the San Francisco Estuary and its Watershed. The primary objective of the study focused on assessing the health status of larval, juvenile, and adult female striped bass collected from selected locations in the Bay Delta using morphometric, histopathological, otolith (aging, growth and microgeochemical analyses) and biochemical metrics. In 2005 investigations began on a limited basis followed in 2006 and 2007 by more comprehensive investigation. Significant progress was made in three years of study contaminants have been identified as a significant stressor on early life stage striped bass throughout the first 6-8 months of life. Maternal transfer of xenobiotics and severe adverse effects on larval development and subsequent survival has been documented over an extended period of time and is likely causing population level effects. It has also been determined that the vast majority of juvenile striped bass are suffering from sub-lethal contaminant exposure of several types during all three years studied causing severe physiological stress, morbidity and likely compromising the immune systems of these fish. Findings of abnormal disease and parasitism were found in juvenile striped bass in all three years studied and are considered to have a significant impact on the health status of the fish and subsequently the population. In addition, data suggests that adult striped bass are also likely adversely affected by the bioaccumulation of contaminants such as PBDEs. As such contaminant effects need to be considered a significant stressor that is affecting the decline of striped bass and are likely causing population level effects in the early life stages. It must be noted that contaminant effects are one of many stressors affecting this and the other pelagic fish species in the San Francisco Estuary. The results from this three year investigation clearly indicate contaminants are one of several significant stressors adversely affecting the pelagic fish and the ecosystem in this estuary (Ostrach, POD Multiple Stressors & Contaminants final report on research).
Dr. David Ostrach’s interdisciplinary research program focuses on understanding the long-term effects of contaminant exposure, climate change and multiple stressors on fish populations and ecosystem health.
Dr. Ostrachs Maternal transfer of xenobiotics and effects on larval striped bass n the San Francisco Estuary study published in The Proceedings of the National Academy of Science (PNAS: Maternal Transfer- Ostrach) was the first of several ongoing investigations initiated to determine the contributing effects of timing and route of contaminant exposure, and their physiological and pathological significance on the early life stages of striped bass. Biologically significant levels of polychlorinated biphenyls, polybrominated diphenyl ethers, and current use/legacy pesticides were found in all egg samples from river-collected fish in 1999, 2001 and 2006. Developmental changes previously unseen were detected with a novel technique in the studies conducted in 1999 & 2001. The study was repeated in 2006 & 2007 with similar results demonstrating maternal transfer of contaminants and adverse effects on resident fish in the San Francisco Estuary (SFE) over an 8 year period. Abnormal yolk utilization, brain and liver development, and overall growth were observed in larvae from river-collected fish. Hatchery reared controls from SFE stock cultured striped bass developed normally. Histopathological analyses confirmed and identified developmental alterations in all four years studied. In addition, the more recent studies indicate that the effects of maternal transfer on larval striped bass appear to be getting progressively worse. Severe gross lesions not seen in the earlier studies were found in >90% of 2006 &2007 larvae from river collected females including; abdominal edema, finfold edema and associated necrosis of the epithelium. Severe histopathological lesions in the brains were also found in >65% of these larvae. None of these gross and histopathological lesions were seen in the control larvae (Ostrach, POD Multiple Stressors & Contaminants final report on research). These studies demonstrate that complex mixtures of contaminants are being maternally transferred to developing progeny. The results from this study clearly demonstrate that xenobiotics are adversely affecting early life stage striped bass in the San Francisco Estuary and need to be considered as one of multiple stressors affecting the continuing population decline. As the Principal Investigator for one of the 4 Pelagic Organism Decline (POD) species studies in the San Francisco Estuary System during the past few years, Dr. Ostrach’s lab was responsible for investigating the Role of Contaminants, within the Context of Multiple Stressors, in the Collapse of the Striped Bass Population in the San Francisco Estuary and its Watershed. The primary objective of the study focused on assessing the health status of larval, juvenile, and adult female striped bass collected from selected locations in the Bay Delta using morphometric, histopathological, otolith (aging, growth and microgeochemical analyses) and biochemical metrics. In 2005 investigations began on a limited basis followed in 2006 and 2007 by more comprehensive investigation. Significant progress was made in three years of study contaminants have been identified as a significant stressor on early life stage striped bass throughout the first 6-8 months of life. Maternal transfer of xenobiotics and severe adverse effects on larval development and subsequent survival has been documented over an extended period of time and is likely causing population level effects. It has also been determined that the vast majority of juvenile striped bass are suffering from sub-lethal contaminant exposure of several types during all three years studied causing severe physiological stress, morbidity and likely compromising the immune systems of these fish. Findings of abnormal disease and parasitism were found in juvenile striped bass in all three years studied and are considered to have a significant impact on the health status of the fish and subsequently the population. In addition, data suggests that adult striped bass are also likely adversely affected by the bioaccumulation of contaminants such as PBDEs. As such contaminant effects need to be considered a significant stressor that is affecting the decline of striped bass and are likely causing population level effects in the early life stages. It must be noted that contaminant effects are one of many stressors affecting this and the other pelagic fish species in the San Francisco Estuary. The results from this three year investigation clearly indicate contaminants are one of several significant stressors adversely affecting the pelagic fish and the ecosystem in this estuary (Ostrach, POD Multiple Stressors & Contaminants final report on research).
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LINKS
Selected Publications Maternal Transfer of Xenobiotics and Effects on Larval Striped Bass in the San Francisco Estuary (2008). Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, volume 105, (49), p. 19353 – 19358 (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2614765/).
Natural Changes in the Acetylcholinesterase Activity of Striped Bass (Morone saxatilis) Larvae and Juveniles in the San Francisco Estuary: Factors to Consider when using this Common Neurotoxicity Biomarker. Fish Physiology and Biochemistry, June 27,2010, http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10695-010-9412-9.Environmental Contaminant Effects on Juvenile Striped Bass in the San Francisco Estuary. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, Vol.30, No.2, pp.393–402, 2011. DOI: 10.1002/etc.386, abstract link (please email djostrach@gmail.com for full article).
Evaluating Otolith Sr/Ca as a Tool for Reconstructing Estuarine Habitat Use. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, Vol 68 pp. 360-373, 2011. DOI:10.1139/F10152, abstract link (please email djostrach@gmail.com for full article).
NorCalSETAC Research Update April 10, 2010 Page 3: Maternal Transfer And Effects On Larval Striped Bass In The San Francisco Estuary Continues 1999 - 2007.
Larval Striped Bass Condition in a Drought-stricken Estuary: Evaluating Pelagic Food-web Limitation. Ecological Applications 5, (3), p.680-692, abstract link (abstract only please email djostrach@gmail.com for full article)The Role of Contaminants, within the Context of Multiple Stressors, in the Collapse of the Striped Bass Population in the San Francisco Estuary and its Watershed. Final Year 2 Pelagic Organism (POD) Report.
Media Unspawned Managing Salmon into Extinction San Francisco Bay Microplastics Striped bass control: cure worse than disease? California Sportfishing Protection Alliance supported Ostrach Striped Bass Maternal Transfer Study still seeking funding. Bay-Delta Stamp Advisory Committee meeting results in funding approved for three important fisheries projects, halibut hooking mortality, central valley steelhead monitoring and the role of contaminants and Multiple stressors in the striped bass population collapse.
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Links to stories about striped bass legislation:
California Sportfishing Protection Alliance March 18, 2009: "Legislation to Eradicate Striped Bass Fisheries Introduced!"
Something's Fishy: Is striped bass legislation nothing more than a diversion from water diversion? (422/09)
Solid opposition by a coalition of fishery, delta and conservation groups kill AB 1253, "The Striper Bill," as proposed: Bill amended to a study to see if there is a need for more studies!"
California Sportfishing Protection Alliance May 7, 2009: "Amended AB 1253 now posted on Assembly website, no mention of striped bass: Bill would study predation and damage done to fisheries by pumping process."