Ospreys recovered dramatically from organochlorine pesticide impacts following DDT bans, but continue to face welfare threats from chemical contamination, entanglement, and fish prey quality.
Osprey recovery represents a conservation and welfare success story enabled by chemical regulation. The DDT ban demonstrated that removing a specific chemical contaminant could reverse population collapse. But ospreys continue to be exposed to emerging contaminants — PFAS compounds that accumulate in fish prey and enter the osprey food chain — whose long-term welfare and reproductive effects are under investigation. Fishing line entanglement in osprey nests, a more direct welfare harm, can be reduced through disposal bin programs at fishing access points and monofilament recycling initiatives.