vvEPA
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Fash and Shellfish Program newsletter
September 2022
EPA 823N22005
In This Issue
Recent Advisory News 1
EPA News 2
Other News 7
Recently Awarded Research... 10
Tech and Tools 11
Recent Publications 14
Upcoming Meetings and
Conferences 15
Recent Advisory News
i
Alabama Department of Public Health Issues
2022 Fish Consumption Advisories
On June 3, 2022, the Alabama Department of Public Health (ADPH) updated its fish
consumption advisories based 011 data collected the preceding fall by the Alabama
Department of Environmental Management (ADEM).
ADEM, the Tennessee Valley Authority, and the Alabama Department of Conservation
and Natural Resources collected samples of specific fish species for analysis from various
waterbodies throughout the state during the fall of 2021 (365 samples from 34 collection
stations). ADPH assessed the analytical results to determine whether any of the tested
contaminants in the fish may give rise to potential human health effects.
Fish consumption advisories are issued for specific waterbodies and specific species taken
from those areas. In reservoirs, advisories apply to waters as far as a boat can be taken
upstream in a tributary, that is, to full pool elevations.
Newly issued advisories will be represented as the safe number of meals of that species of
fish that can be eaten in a given period of time, such as meals per week, meals per month
or do not eat any. A meal portion consists of 6 ounces of cooked fish or 8 ounces of raw
fish.
This newsletter provides information
only. This newsletter does not
impose legally binding requirements
on the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA), states, tribes, other
regulatory authorities, orthe
regulated community. The Office of
Science and Technology, Office of
Water, U.S. EPAhas approved this
newsletter for publication. Mention
of trade names, products, or services
does not convey and should not be
interpreted as conveying official EPA
approval, endorsement, or
recommendation for use.
https://www.epa.gov/fish-tech
New and updated consumption advisories issued for the 34 bodies of water tested can be
found on the ADPH website: alabamapublichealth.gov/tox/fish-advisories. Alabama's
updated advisories include advisories for mercury, perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS),
and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs).
The advice contained in this release and complete listings of the posted fish consumption
advisories are offered as guidance to individuals who wish to eat fish they catch from
various waterbodies throughout the state. No regulations ban the consumption of any of
the fish caught within the state, nor is there a risk of an acute toxic episode that could
result from consuming any of the fish containing the contaminants for which the state has
conducted analyses.
This newsletter provides a bimonthly summary of news about fish and shellfish
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A fish consumption advisory can be issued for one or more specific species of fish within a waterbody, or an
advisory can be extended to include all fish species within that waterbody. When excess levels of a contaminant are
found in a specific species of fish, an advisory is issued for that specific species. For example, if an advisory had
been issued for largemouth bass and not for channel catfish, it would be advised that individuals should not eat
largemouth bass, but consumption of channel catfish is permissible without endangering health. When excess levels
of a contaminant are found in multiple fish species sampled from a specific waterbody, a Do Not Eat Any advisory is
issued. Consumption of any fish from a specific waterbody under a Do Not Eat Any advisory may place the
consumer at risk for harm from the contaminant.
If a species is listed in the advisory, it is prudent to assume that similar species with similar feeding habits should be
consumed with caution. For example, if black crappie is listed and white crappie is not, because they are in the same
family, all crappie would fall under the listed advisory.
For more information, contact John Guarisco at John.Guarisco@adph.state.al.us.
Source: https://www.alabamapublichealth.gov/blog/2022/06/nr 03.html
EPA News
2023 National Fish Forum Registration is Live
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Office of Water, will hold a virtual National Forum on
Contaminants in Fish (Fish Forum) to bring together interested stakeholders to discuss the many issues related to
human health and contaminants in fish. The free virtual conference will be held as follows:
• Week 1: February 28 and March 2, 2023 (12:00 - 5:30 PM Eastern Time)
• Week 2: March 7 and 9, 2023 (12:00 - 5:30 PM Eastern Time)
Some topics likely to be covered include:
• Latest science on specific contaminants in fish and their impacts on human health (e.g., per- and
polyfluoroalkyl substances [PFAS], mercury, PCBs, and cyanotoxins)
• Emerging science in developing fish consumption advisories
• Risk communication and public engagement strategies for fish consumption advisories
• Issuing/rescinding fish consumption advisories
• Effectiveness of fish consumption advisories
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• Environmental justice: Protection of high frequency fish consumers, such as subsistence fishers and fishers
in underserved communities
• Community/participatory science: Roles and practices
• Sampling and analysis: Practices and methods
Register for the Fish Forum at: https://usepa.zoomgov.com/webinar/register/WN h i\vofutOiCiiDini2Pc;iUbg.
If you plan to submit an abstract for consideration, please submit all materials for consideration by Wednesday,
November 2, 2022. Your abstract should be no longer than 250 words.
For more information, visit https://www.epa.gov/fish-tech/2o2-national-fish-forum.
EPA Announces $79 Million Investment from President Biden's
Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to Protect and Restore the Columbia
River Basin
Up to $6.9 million in Clean Water Act and Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding will be awarded to reduce
toxics in fish and water, address climate impacts in communities throughout the Basin
On August 10, 2022, at an event along the Columbia River in Portland, Oregon, U.S. EPA Administrator Michael S.
Regan announced the $79 million investment from President Biden's Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to protect and
restore the Columbia River Basin. The announcement includes $6.9 million in Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and
Clean Water Act grants to be awarded this year for projects to reduce toxics in fish and water and address climate
impacts in communities throughout the Columbia River Basin. Administrator Regan was joined by EPA Regional
Administrator for the Pacific Northwest Casey Sixkiller, Senator Jeff Merkley, Senator Ron Wyden, and tribal, state,
and local leaders for the announcement.
"The Columbia River Basin is a vital economic engine and an irreplaceable environmental asset, providing a broad
range of benefits from agriculture to recreation to electricity, but toxic contaminants in the basin pose a serious
risk," said EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan. "Through the investments from President Biden's Bipartisan
Infrastructure Law, we will make unprecedented progress in our efforts to restore and protect these waters, clean
up harmful pollution and deliver economic and environmental benefits to the communities supported by the basin."
The EPA Columbia River Basin Program received $79 million from President Biden's Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
This funding provides EPA the ability to grow the Columbia River Basin Restoration Program and significantly
increase competitive grants throughout the Basin to reduce toxics. EPA will be awarding 12 grants using
infrastructure law funds in 2022 totaling $3.8 million. EPA plans to issue additional Requests for Applications in
2022-2023 using infrastructure law funds to increase toxics reduction through agricultural best practices,
stormwater green infrastructure, pollution prevention, contaminated sites cleanup, and community education and
engagement.
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"Since time immemorial, communities throughout the Columbia River Basin have relied on the river for life and for
the nutritional, economic, cultural, and spiritual gifts it provides," said EPA Regional Administrator Casey Sixkiller.
"Today we get to celebrate the vital work being done by our tribal, state, and local partners to preserve and protect
this resource for future generations."
"Water is the lifeblood of our state and our communities; from irrigation to recreation and tribal traditions," said
Senator Jeff Merkley (D-Oregon), who amended the Clean Water Act to create the Columbia River Basin
Restoration Program. "We must do everything we can to keep our rivers and waterways clean and healthy. Funding
from the Columbia River Restoration Program will reduce toxic contaminants in the Basin so folks can totally enjoy
boating and fishing in Oregon waters. Thanks to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, we are providing $79 million to
fund grants for this long-term effort."
"This is great news for the Columbia River Basin and all the Oregonians pulling together to protect this iconic
waterway from toxics, so it continues to be a scenic treasure that creates joy and generates economic strength for
generations to come," said Senator Ron Wyden (D-Oregon). "These resources, from the Bipartisan Infrastructure
Law, I was proud to support will help Oregon build a national model that employs best practices for agriculture,
develops green infrastructure, promotes pollution prevention, and increases citizen education and involvement."
EPA announced the following grants as examples of how this program is building community and tribal
government capacity around the basin. This announcement includes seven initial grants totaling $1.8 million
focused on toxics reduction, community engagement, and pollution prevention projects occurring throughout the
Basin. An additional 18 projects will be funded by later this fall.
• Salmon-Safe Columbia Basin Pledge: Accelerating water quality protection in the Columbia
Basin ($342,000 - funded by Bipartisan Infrastructure Law) Salmon-Safe will build on the successful
rollout of Salmon-Safe initiatives in interior Columbia Basin tributaries that were implemented with the
first phase of EPA funding. Salmon-Safe Columbia Basin Pledge will scale up activities in these tributaries,
particularly in Idaho, while introducing a new Trout-Safe initiative across western Montana and the
Wyoming portion of the Teton River Valley and upper Snake River. Salmon-Safe will roll out the Columbia
Basin Pledge, engaging 250 farmers across multiple crop sectors and other large-scale land managers, in
actions to protect downstream water quality. Earning Salmon-Safe certification will require that these
mostly large-scale, diversified farms reduce or eliminate the use of pesticides that are harmful to fish and
wildlife, and reduce runoff and wind erosion, while also improving soil health, riparian habitat, irrigation
efficiency, and protecting wildlife habitat and enhancing native biodiversity. The project is a long-term
strategy to reduce toxics and enhance climate resiliency in the watershed, while demonstrating market
support to maintain viable farming operations.
• Pesticide Behavior Change Project of Oregon & Southwest Washington ($347,412 - funded by
Bipartisan Infrastructure Law) The City of Gresham, Oregon, will implement Phase II of the Pesticide
Reduction Outreach (PRO) Campaign, previously funded by an EPA Columbia River Basin Restoration
grant. This project will be managed by the City of Gresham, the Clean Rivers Coalition Steering Committee,
and its partners. The PRO Campaign will focus on reducing human exposures and environmental releases
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of residential and commercial pesticides. This project will launch pilot projects geared towards residential
Do-It-Yourself lawn care audiences and small business Hispanic/Latino lawn care landscapers without
pesticide licenses. The project help reduce pesticide use by teaching and engaging the key audiences about
integrated pest management techniques and benefits.
• Columbia River Pollution Education and Outreach Project ($125,452) Columbia Riverkeeper will
help reduce toxic pollution in the Columbia Basin by conducting youth and community pollution education
and outreach. The project will promote citizen engagement and knowledge about EPA's priority toxics and
pollution reduction programs through school, community, and online engagement and by educating and
inspiring students and community members on sources of toxic pollution, reduction strategies, and actions
to prevent pollution. This project builds on and expands Riverkeeper's successful Columbia Gorge Pollution
Prevention Outreach and Education Program funded by EPA in 2020 and 2021. Specifically, the project will
provide high-quality, field and online-based toxic pollution education to 1,200 kindergartens through
community college students from diverse communities in the Columbia River Gorge.
• Reducing PFAS and Phthalates in Local Water Systems within the Columbia Basin ($118,044)
Oregon Association of Clean Water Agencies (ACWA) will work to produce actionable information for
ACWA and its member agencies to reduce and better assess sources of PFAS and phthalates in municipal
wastewater and stormwater systems. The results of this effort will advance water quality improvement
strategies for two priority chemical classes of emerging concern and will directly inform ACWA's
approaches for addressing other types of toxic pollutants through its prospective Toxics Reduction Strategy.
• Engaging Communities to Monitor Mercury Risk in the Columbia River Basin ($349,919)
Oregon State University (OSU) will work to implement a fine-scale, community-based mercury monitoring
network in the Willamette River Valley to document trends in biotic mercury contamination at a fine scale
across various environmental and demographic gradients, identifying pollution drivers, and informing safer
fishing practices. Using established curricula, OSU will engage and educate community scientists to sample
dragonfly larvae as mercury bioindicators (in a "biosentinel" network), connecting people to the freshwater
systems on which they depend, and increasing public knowledge of mercury risks to ecosystem and human
health.
• Columbia Slope Water Quality Monitoring Phase 2 ($246,860) and Waste Incentive Network
($255,837) The City of Vancouver, Washington, will collect 18 months of water quality data at ten locations
along the Columbia Slope to accurately establish current conditions, provide baseline data for future trend
analysis, and determine the effectiveness of stormwater management practices. Water quality data will also
be used to identify and prioritize outfall basins where future stormwater treatment retrofits would be
effective in removing contaminants that are currently reaching the Columbia River. In a separate project,
the city will work with its existing waste hauler, Clark County Public Works, and other private waste
haulers, to improve dangerous waste disposal for business and multi-family residential waste through a
project called the Waste Incentive Network. The city will reduce pollution and threats to human and aquatic
health by encouraging proper waste disposal and raising awareness about the water pollution risks of
improper waste disposal.
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What they are saying
Kathleen George, Oregon Environmental Quality Commission Chair and Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde
Tribal Council member said, "The need is huge. The time is now. Our fish and rivers can't wait. We have built and
fed our communities on the riches of our rivers. We have taken but very rarely do we give back. This investment of
$79 million will jump start the much-needed work of reducing toxic pollution that harms our waters and everyone
who relies on them."
"The Umatilla Tribes have worked for decades with our federal and state partners to protect our First Foods; the
water, the fish, big game, the roots, and berries," said Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation Tribal
Council Corrine Sams. "Pollution threatens those foods as well as each and every one of us. Together we can restore
those foods and the environment on which they depend."
"With support from EPA, Columbia Riverkeeper will help to reduce toxic pollution in the mid-Columbia," said
Columbia Riverkeeper Executive Director Lauren Goldberg. "We are excited to keep up the community-based
momentum for a clean Columbia with high-quality online, field- and classroom-based pollution prevention
education to community members and students from diverse communities in the Columbia River Gorge."
"Salmon-Safe has partnered with environmentally innovative farmers in the mid-Columbia Basin for more than a
decade to introduce market-based incentives for water quality protection and habitat restoration practices on
agricultural lands," said Salmon-Safe Executive Director Dan Kent. "With support from EPA Columbia River Basin
Restoration Program, Salmon-Safe is scaling up our grower outreach, farm assessment, and market recognition
efforts throughout the interior Columbia Basin, building new partnerships with place-based conservation
organizations and tribal governments across the region, including upper Snake River tributaries. We look forward
to building on this work with a new Columbia River Pledge to significantly expand the audience we activate in our
water quality protection and salmon recovery efforts, including beginning to engage urban developers in cities like
Spokane and Boise."
"The City of Vancouver is excited to launch the Waste Incentive Network; we will use this program to reduce
pollution and threats to human and aquatic health by promoting proper waste disposal," said City of Vancouver
Interim Surface Water Manager Kris Olinger. "Additional water quality monitoring along the Columbia Slope will
help us identify and prioritize stormwater retrofit projects to remove contaminants from urban road runoff that
discharges to the Columbia River."
Background on the Columbia River Basin
The Columbia River Basin covers 260,000 square miles, 16 federally recognized tribes, across seven states including
Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming. The Basin provides benefits including commercial fisheries,
agriculture, forestry, recreation, and electric power generation. Human activities have contributed toxic
contaminants to the environment and throughout the basin, fish species have accumulated contaminant levels that
are harmful to people and wildlife. Toxics in fish are a primary health concern for Columbia River Basin tribal
people and other high fish consumers.
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Congress amended the Clean Water Act in 2016 by adding Section 123, establishing a Columbia River Basin
Restoration Program to develop a voluntary, competitive grant program for eligible entities to fund environmental
protection and restoration programs throughout the basin. In 2020, EPA awarded $2,053,903 in 14 grants
throughout the basin to tribal and state governments, municipalities, NGOs, universities, and other entities. These
grant projects are implementing and developing monitoring, promoting agricultural best practices, building green
infrastructure, and increasing pollution prevention and public engagement and education.
The Columbia River Basin Restoration Program is focused on engaging tribal and underserved communities in
efforts to identify and reduce threats to their environment and community health. EPA's commitment to reducing
toxics in fish and water in the Columbia River Basin is key to EPA's ongoing trust responsibility to tribal
governments. Toxics reduction will support climate resilience for the Columbia River Basin ecosystem by reducing
aquatic ecosystem and human health stressors in an environment stressed by severe climatic events.
Learn more about the Columbia River Basin at https://www.epa.gov/columbiariver.
For more information, contact Suzanne Skadowski at skadowski.suzanne@epa.gov or (2o6)-553-2i6o.
Source: https://www.epa.gov/newsreleases/epa-announces-7Q-million-investment-president-bidens-bipartisan-
infrastructure-law-o
Other News
United States Geological Survey Study Suggests Atlantic Sturgeon
Spawning Population Declined by More Than 99% in the Delaware
River Since the Late 1800s
On July 25, 2022, United States Geological Survey (USGS) scientists reported that spawning habitat degradation,
poor water quality, overharvesting and bycatch mortality - unintentional deaths caused by commercial fishing -
have resulted in significant declines in Atlantic sturgeon populations. This ultimately resulted in a coastwide fishing
ban in 1997 for the species and their listing under the Endangered Species Act of the United States in 2012. Known
for their size, growing as long as 14 feet, Atlantic sturgeon are culturally important and were once sought after for
their prized caviar, which is the primary reason they were overfished.
"The Delaware River population of Atlantic sturgeon has been the focus of several research efforts, and these new
estimates of population size will provide important information resource managers can use to improve the
conservation of this endangered fish," said David Kazyak, an ecologist with the USGS Eastern Ecological Science
Center and co-author of the study.
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Atlantic sturgeon are a long-lived, migratory species
that spend most of their lives in the ocean but spawn
in freshwater ri\ers. Historical records show the
species once spawned in at least 35 rivers in the
United States and Canada, with the Delaware River
thought to have supported the largest population of
Atlantic sturgeon. Scientists now believe only 22
rivers still support naturally reproducing populations
of the fish.
Estimating the population size of Atlantic sturgeon is
challenging because adults are rare and travel across
vast areas in the river and ocean maldng them
difficult to capture. In the Delaware River, sturgeon occupy a shipping channel frequented by large cargo vessels,
which makes most fish-sampling methods unsafe. Together, this has led to a lack of data needed to determine the
number of adults that reproduce in this river.
To fill this data gap, researchers analyzed the deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) of thousands of juvenile Atlantic
sturgeon and built a genetic family tree to identify the total number of parents that reproduced each year. This
method is ideal for Atlantic sturgeon, as capturing juveniles is often easier than capturing adults, providing a new
opportunity to estimate spawning population size.
"This genetics method is relatively new, and this is the first time it has been used to study Atlantic sturgeon,"
Kazyak said. "Similar genetics-based approaches have been used with other species of sturgeon, such as lake
sturgeon in the Great Lakes, but we needed to ensure that it would work for Atlantic sturgeon."
To determine whether their estimates of spawning population size were accurate, the researchers ran simulations to
determine how data limitations could change the results of their analyses. Comparing the simulation results to their
estimates of spawning population size in the Delaware River, the researchers concluded that the breeding
population size was likely less than 250 adults, thus confirming their genetics-based estimates.
This research project meets the science needs of many cooperators, including the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries
Commission (ASM FC). This compact of states from Maine to Florida is responsible for coordinating state and
federal conservation and recovery efforts for Atlantic sturgeon.
"This project demonstrates the effective science support partnership benefits between USGS and ASMFC as
directed under the Atlantic Coastal Fisheries Cooperative Management Act," said Tom O'Connell, Director of the
USGS Eastern Ecological Science Center. "Results from this project will have a direct benefit in informing
conservation of Atlantic sturgeon by state and federal managers working together under the auspices of the
commission."
Atlantic sturgeon swimming. (Photo courtesy ofNOAA Fisheries)
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The study was done in collaboration with the State University of New York-Oswego, Delaware Division of Fish and
Wildlife, Delaware State University, and Environmental Research and Consulting, and was published in Ecological
Applications: https://d0i.org/10.1002/eap.2602.
For more information, contact Jason Burton at iburton@usgs.gov.
Source: https://www.usgs.gov/news/state-news-release/usgs-studv-suggests-atlantic-sturgeon-spawning-
population-declined-more-QQ
Warming of the Oceans Due to Climate Change will Mean Fewer
Productive Fish Species
Study Results Present a Mixed Picture of Ocean Health
On May 16, 2022, researchers reported warming of the oceans due to climate change will mean fewer productive
fish species to catch in the future, according to a new study. As temperatures warm, changing predator-prey
interactions will prevent species from keeping up with conditions where they could thrive, the researchers found.
The United States flJ.S.) National Science Foundation ("NSFVfunded results, published in the journal Pi'oceedings
of the Royal Society B, present a mixed picture of ocean health. "The impact of a warming ocean on marine
ecosystems will be complex and difficult to predict," said Mike Sieracki, a program director in NSF's Division of
Ocean Sciences. "This study helps us know what to look for as the ocean changes so we can best manage our
resources."
Not only will large species and commercially important fisheries shift out of their historical ranges as climate
warms, but they will likely not be as abundant even in their new geographic ranges. A cod fisher in the Atlantic, for
example, might still find fish 200 years from now, but in significantly fewer numbers.
"While the species we fish today will be there tomorrow, they will not be there in the same abundance," said study
coauthor Malin Pinsky of Rutgers University. "Overfishing becomes easier because the population growth rates are
low. Warming coupled with food-web dynamics will be like putting marine biodiversity in a blender."
Previous studies of shifting habitat ranges focused on the direct impacts of climate change on individual species.
While these "one-at-a-time" species projections offer insights into the composition of ocean communities in a
warming world, they have largely failed to consider how food-web interactions will affect the pace of change, the
researchers said.
The new study looked at trophic interactions - the process of one species being nourished at the expense of another
- and other food-web dynamics to determine how climate change affects species' ranges.
Using sophisticated computer models, the researchers determined that predator-prey interactions are likely to
cause many species, especially large predators, to shift their ranges more slowly than climate is changing.
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"The model suggests that over the next 200 years of warming, species are going to continually reshuffle and be in
the process of shifting their ranges," said lead author E.W. Tekwa at the University of British Columbia. "Even after
200 years, marine species will still be lagging behind temperature shifts. That's particularly true for those at the top
of the food web."
For more information, contact info@nsf.gov.
Source: https://beta.nsf.gov/news/warming-oceans-due-climate-change-will-mean-fewer-productive-fish-species
Recently Awarded Research
More Than $770,000 Awarded for Ruth Gates Coral Restoration
Innovation Grants Projects
Projects will Develop Novel Coral Restoration and Intervention Methods to Restore Resilient Coral
Ecosystems
On August 10, 2022, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) awarded approximately
$771,000 in funding for 2022 to support efforts to restore resilient coral ecosystems. The funding is supporting four
projects that will enhance coral resilience and improve the long-term success and efficiency of shallow-water coral
reef restoration in a changing climate.
Globally, coral reefs are rapidly declining in health. While coral restoration efforts have been successful at a local
level, we need to develop innovative interventions. They will improve the efficiency and long-term effectiveness of
coral restoration activities in order to restore resilient, genetically diverse, and reproductively viable coral
populations at a larger scale.
Projects will enhance research and development of interv entions to improve coral resilience to environmental
stressors. They will also support novel techniques to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of coral population
enhancement.
NOAA awarded funding for one new project and
three continuing, multi-year projects.
New Project
Nova Southeastern University will work with Mote Marine
Laboratory . The Florida Aquarium, and the University of
North Carolina. Wilmington. They will determine the
optimal light to maximize the survival and growth of
young corals before, during, and immediately after the
uptake of their algal endosymbionts. This will enable them
to rapidly and effectively upscale production of genetically
diverse corals for restoration. ($356,210)
Scientists maintain corals growing in a coral reef nursery. The coral fragments
will later be used to restore a degraded reef. (Photo courtesy of NOAA)
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Continuing Projects
• The University of Hawai'i is addressing a knowledge gap by assessing how selectively bred corals can
increase adaptation in natural reproduction by improving the temperature tolerance of future coral
populations. ($142,811)
• The Pennsylvania State University is analyzing four coral species in the U.S. Virgin Islands and Florida to
understand genetic and molecular mechanisms related to thermal tolerance and resilience. ($151,394)
• Johnston Applied Marine Science is testing a new settlement substrate for coral larvae in order to scale up
coral restoration efforts through the outplanting of sexually derived juvenile corals and build capacity in the
Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands to implement coral sexual propagation. ($120,907)
Ruth Gates Coral Restoration Innovation Grants
This competition is in direct response to the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine study
on Interventions to Increase the Resilience of Coral Reefs. The NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program funds these
innovation grants, which are a part of NOAA's effort to restore resilient coral ecosystems. Learn more about the
Ruth Gates Coral Restoration Innovation Grants.
For more information, contact Liz Fairey at liz.fairev@noaa.gov.
Source: https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/feature-storv/more-770000-awarded-ruth-gates-coral-restoration-
innovation-grants-proiects
Tech and Tools
Sharing the Tools of Sustainable Fishery Management
NOAA Fisheries supports Guam and American Samoa with the Tools Necessary to Develop Plans that
Protect their Fishery Resources
They say it takes a village. But sometimes it takes a multi-agency, Pacific-wide collaboration.
With help from NOAA Fisheries, the U.S. Coral Reef Task Force, and local partners, the U.S. territories of Guam
and American Samoa are on their way to developing their first sustainable coral reef fishery management plans.
Once completed, these plans will chart a path forward to ensure the islands' marine resources are around for future
generations to enjoy.
"The territories are taking a proactive approach in leading their efforts for sustainable coral reef fisheries
management," said Fatima Sauafea-Le'au, American Samoa coral reef fisheries liaison with NOAA Fisheries' Pacific
Islands Regional Office (PIRO).
Importantly, NOAA will have no ownership of the plans added Jonathan Brown, Guam coral reef fisheries liaison,
NOAA Fisheries PIRO. "The resources that will be managed are within the local jurisdictions," he said. "We are just
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in a support role, providing tools to help them develop the
plans and helping them form partnerships with entities like
The Nature Conservancy."
One such tool is called FishPath. FishPath provides a suite
of potential management options for a species based on
answers to a lengthy questionnaire about the fishery. It can
be used in data-limited fisheries, like the coral reef fisheries
in the Pacific Islands.
Brown and agency partners held a workshop for Guam's
management agencies in June 2022 to teach them how to
use the tool to develop management options. These
measures could then be incorporated into their sustainable
fishery management plans.
American Samoa, with Sauafea-Le'au's support, held its FishPath workshop in May 2022. It also conducted an
analysis of appropriate management options that will help the territory achieve its management goals.
More workshops will be held in 2023, and the local resource management agencies will continue discussions to
refine their management options. They'll also work with community members whom the measures would affect.
"This initial workshop," Brown said, "was just the first step of the process."
Charting a Path
Guam's fishery management representatives, including the Guam Department of Agriculture and Division of
Aquatic & Wildlife Resources, attended the FishPath workshop. Other attendees included scientists with NOAA
Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center, the University of Guam, and the University of Hawai'i. The American
Samoa planning team is led by the Department of Marine and Wildlife Resources, the Coral Reef Advisory Group.
and the Pacific Islands Regional Office. The advisory group includes members such as the American Samoa
Environmental Protection Agency, National Marine Sanctuary, and Community College.
Prior to the 5-day workshops, facilitated by The Nature Conservancy and NOAA Northwest Fisheries Science
Center, attendees went through part of the FishPath tool on their own for the islands' respective management plan
priority coral reef fish species. During the workshop, they reviewed selected species questionnaires. The facilitators
led discussions to formulate and understand management options and work through non-consensus answers.
"The real value of FishPath is not just coming up with options for management," Brown said. "It's a tool that really
generates open discussion. It's transparent and creates this level playing field of understanding."
The tool provided a list of possible management options, graded on viability, which the facilitators helped whittle
down to a smaller list. Some options were contentious for various reasons. For example, they didn't help the fishery
quickly enough, contained too many variables to understand their full effect, or were too costly.
Tanfaced parrotfish (Chlon/n/s frontalis and whites potted surgeonfish
(Acanthurusguttatus\ are common fish families in American Samoa coral
reef ecosystems. (Photo courtesy of NOAA Fisheries)
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In the end, the collaborators landed on two potential measures that would protect reproducing females and their
egg-producing capacity. These include establishing size limits and reducing the number of adult fish that can be
legally caught. These measures will ensure that the fishery has the reproduction and recruitment necessary to be
sustainable.
The Path Forward
Given limitations on capacity, funds, and knowledge, taking a species-level approach to managing the fisheries
doesn't seem viable, Brown explained. Instead, Guam and American Samoa will likely focus on so-called indicator
species.
Fish species can be grouped in various ways, such as by family (groupers, snappers, etc.) or functionally
(herbivores, carnivores, etc.). Within a given group, the health of certain species will often be defined by their life
history and biology. By grouping species, managers can infer how the population of one species in a group is doing
based on the indicator species. Managers can then use the indicator species to develop management measures for
the group and monitor that species to assess the overall health of the group.
Guam's fishery managers will likely have another workshop focusing on indicator species. They'll then share their
resulting management measures with the community, making sure the fishing community can contribute to the
knowledge and help build the plan. Similarly, American Samoa will use the FishPath tool for its remaining pool of
indicator species and take this collection of information into a second workshop to begin framing its plan, according
to Sauafea-Le'au.
Fisheries management is an active and adaptive process. It requires close monitoring of the resource. American
Samoa and Guam will have to develop assessment tools to monitor and evaluate the health of their managed species
and effectiveness of their management plans.
Managing the fish is only half the story. Land-based activities, such as watershed runoff and coastal development,
can harm fish populations by reducing the quantity or quality of their habitats, including coral reefs, seagrasses, and
mangroves. After completing the fishery component of the management plan, the resource managers will move on
to the non-fishery or habitat component.
"On small islands, we're so tied to the fish and our resources," Brown said. "We're doing this for our future
generations."
More Information is Available at:
• FishPath Tool
• Conserving Habitat in the Pacific Islands Region
For more information, contact Pacific Islands Regional Office at piro.info(Snoaa.gov.
Source: https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/feature-storv/sharing-tools-sustainable-fisherv-management
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Fish and Shellfish Program newsletter
September 2022
Recent Publications
Journal Articles
The list below provides a selection of research articles.
~ Investigating Fish Contamination Scenario and Community Willingness to Adopt Consumption Advice Proposing an Advisory Option
Alam, L, Sumaila, U. R., Bari, M. A., Rusydy, I., Musthafa, M. S., & Mokhtar, M. 2022. Investigating fish contamination scenario and
community willingness to adopt consumption advice proposing an advisory option. Environmental Science and Pollution Research
International 29(16): 24167-24179.
~ Follicular Fluid and Blood Levels of Persistent Organic Pollutants and Reproductive Outcomes Among Women Undergoing Assisted
ReproductiveTechnologies
Bjorvang, R. D., Hallberg, I., Pikki, A., Berglund, L, Pedrelli, M., Kiviranta, H., Rantakokko, P., Ruokojarvi, P., Lindh, C. H., Olovsson,
M., Persson, S., Holte, J., Sjunnesson, Y., & Damdimopoulou, P. 2022. Follicular fluid and blood levels of persistent organic
pollutants and reproductive outcomes among women undergoing assisted reproductive technologies. Environmental Research
208: 112626.
~ Sentinel Riparian Spiders Predict Mercury Contamination of Riverine Fish
Drenner, R. W., Chumchal, M. M., Gaul, S. P., Hembrough, M. T., Khan, A. M., Rolfe, I. M., Wallace, G. R., & Hannappel, M. P. 2022.
Sentinel Riparian Spiders Predict Mercury Contamination of Riverine Fish. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry 41(5): 1297-
1303.
~ Tissue Distribution and Endocrine Disruption Effects of Chronic Exposure to Pharmaceuticals and Personal Care Products Mixture at
Environmentally Relevant Concentrations in Zebrafish
Hamid, N., Junaid, M., Manzoor, R., Duan, J. J., Lv, M., Xu, N., & Pei, D. S. 2022. Tissue distribution and endocrine disruption
effects of chronic exposure to pharmaceuticals and personal care products mixture at environmentally relevant concentrations in
zebrafish. Aquatic Toxicology (Amsterdam, Netherlands) 242: 106040.
~ Novel and Legacy Per-and Polvfluoroalkvl Substances (PFAS) in Freshwater Sporting Fish from Background and Firefighting Foam Impacted
Ecosystems in Eastern Canada
Kabore, H. A., Goeury, K, Desrosiers, M., Vo Duy, S., Liu, J., Cabana, G., Munoz, G., &Sauve, S. 2022. Novel and legacy per- and
polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in freshwater sporting fish from background and firefighting foam impacted ecosystems in
Eastern Canada. The Science of the Total Environment 816: 151563.
~ Arsenic Bioaccumulation and Identification of Low-arsenic-accumulating Food Fishes for Aauaculture in Arsenic-contaminated Ponds and
Associated Aquatic Ecosystems
Kumar, S. V., Raman, R. K., Talukder, A., Mahanty, A., Sarkar, D. J., Das, B. K, Bhowmick, S., Samanta, S., Manna, S. K., &
Mohanty, B. P. 2022. Arsenic bioaccumulation and identification of low-arsenic-accumulating food fishes for aquaculture in
arsenic-contaminated ponds and associated aquatic ecosystems. Biological Trace Element Research 200(6): 2923-2936.
~ A Review of PFAS Fingerprints in Fish from Norwegian Freshwater Bodies Subject to Different Source Inputs
Langberg, H. A., Hale, S. E., Breedveld, G. D., Jenssen, B. M., & Jartun, M. 2022. A review of PFAS fingerprints in fish from
Norwegian freshwater bodies subject to different source inputs. Environmental science. Processes & impacts 24(2): 330-342.
~ Biomonitoringof Per-and Polvfluoroalkvl Substances in Minority Angler Communities in Central New York State
Wattigney, W. A., Savadatti, S. S., Liu, M., Pavuk, M., Lewis-Michl, E., Kannan, K, Wang, W., Spliethoff, H., Marquez-Bravo, L, &
Hwang, S. A. 2022. Biomonitoringof per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances in minority angler communities in central New York State.
Environmental Research 204(Pt C): 112309.
~ A Simple Method for the Determination of Pharmaceutical and Personal Care Products in Fish Tissue Based on Matrix Solid-Phase Dispersion
Xiao, S., Lv, S., Cheng, Z., Hu, C., Li, P., Nan, F., Liu, X., Liu, D., Zhou, Z., & Wang, P. 2021. A simple method for the determination of
pharmaceutical and personal care products in fish tissue based on matrix solid-phase dispersion. Journal of Agricultural and Food
Chemistry 69(51): 15738-15745.
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Fish and Shellfish Program newsletter
September 2022
Upcoming Meetings and Conferences
11th U.S. Symposium on Harmful Algae
October 23-28, 2022
Albany, NY
Small Pelagic Fish: New Frontiers in Science and Sustainable
Management
November 7-11, 2022
Lisbon, Portugal
115th Annual Meeting of the National Shellfisheries
Association
March 26-30, 2023
Baltimore, MD
2023 National Fish Forum
February 28, March 2, March 7, and March 9,
2023
Virtual
Additional Information
This bimonthly newsletter highlights current information about fish and shellfish.
For more information about specific advisories within the state, territory, or tribe, contact the appropriate
state agency listed on EPA's National Listing of Fish Advisories website at https://fishadvisorvonline.epa.gov/Contacts.aspx.
For more information about this newsletter, contact Sharon Frev (Frev.Sharon@eDa.gov. 202-566-1480).
Additional information about advisories and fish and shellfish consumption can be found at https://www.eDa.gov/fish-tech.
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