 Although there are now about 12,000 adult shortnose sturgeon living within the Delaware River estuary, the population faces serious human-induced threats.Water quality contaminants such as endocrine distributing chemicals (EDCs) have been linked to reproductive and developmental disorders in many fish species.These contaminants were found in shortnose sturgeon tissue collected in 2001 and include PCDDs/TCDFs, DDE, PCBs, and cadmium.