vvEPA

United States
Environmental Protection
Agency





Fish and Shellfish Program

NEWSLETTER

November 2024
EPA 820N24005

In This Issue

Recent Advisory News	1

EPA News	4

Other News	7

Recently Awarded Research... 13

Tech and Tools			15

Recent Publications			16

Upcoming Meetings and
Conferences	17

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. Environmental Protection
Agency has 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

Recent Advisory News

Maine Center for Disease Control and
Prevention Issues Advisories on Eating
P Freshwater Fish Due to Per- and

Polyfluoroalkyl Substances Contamination
at the Former Naval Air Station in Brunswick

On August 23, 2024, the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention (Maine CDC)
issued new freshwater fish consumption advisories recommending either no consumption
or limited consumption of fish from four waterbodies located on and around the former
naval air station in Brunswick, Maine.

The testing of fish is part of the United States Navy's (Navy) ongoing remedial
investigation at the former base in response to environmental contamination from the
historic use of aqueous film forming foam (AFFF) containing per- and polyfluoroalkyl
substances (PFAS) in fire-fighting operations. Data were collected in October 2023 by the
Navy, in coordination with Maine's Department of Environmental Protection and the
EPA, and shared with the Maine CDC in spring of 2024. The Maine CDC reviewed the
data and determined they showed elevated levels of (PFAS) above the Maine CDC's
recommended levels for regular consumption.

While testing occurred before the August 19, 2024, accidental release of AFFF at the
former naval air station, was not expected to impact the guidance issued on August 23,
2024. The waters likely impacted by the AFFF spill were on the east side of the runway at
the air station. The advisory issued on August 23, 2024, recommends a no consumption
advisory for those waters based on prior testing data.

Elevated levels of the specific PFAS, perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS), were detected
in fish tissue samples collected from Mere Brook (also known as Mare Brook),
Merriconeag Stream, Picnic Pond, and Site 8 Stream.

The new fish consumption advisories in the table on the next page apply to all fish caught
in these waterbodies.

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Fish and Shellfish Program newsletter

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In response to the release
of AFFF and the reported
presence of visible foam
on some of the
waterbodies on the
eastern side of the
runway, the Maine CDC
additionally recommends

the public avoid any contact with foam on these waterbodies. Out of an abundance of caution, the Maine CDC also
recommends the public refrain from any recreational activities (e.g., swimming, boating, wading) that could result
in contact with the foam or waters until the potential impact of the AFFF release on these waterbodies is fully
assessed.	*/ . • v	-v -v

WATERBODY

CONSUMPTION ADVISORY

Mere (Mare) Brook from the Eastern side of the runway to
Liberty Crossing

Do Not Eat fish of any species.

Mere (Mare) Brook from Coffin Ice Pond to the Western edge
of the runway

Consume no more than 6 meals per year of any
fish species.

All of Merriconeag Stream

Do Not Eat fish of any species.

All of Picnic Pond

Do Not Eat fish of any species.

All of Site 8 Stream

Do Not Eat fish of any species.

wTaumTs?

PFAS are a group of man-made chemicals
found in a variety of consumer products
throughout the world. Based on a report from
the National Academies of Sciences,
Engineering, and Medicine, exposure to
certain PFAS chemicals has been associated
with increases in cholesterol levels, decreases
in birth weight, lower antibody response to
some vaccines, and kidney cancer.

For more information, please go to:

Maine CDC PFAS Fish Consumption Advisory
FAQ rPDFi

Fish Advisory Extent. Map of waterbodies included in the fish consumption advisory
on and around the former Naval Air Station in Brunswick. (Photo courtesy of the

Maine CDC Scientific Brief: PFOS	~	 ~ 	 " ' '

Consumption Advisory' for the Former Naval Air Station in Brunswick. Maine ( PDF)

Freshwater Fish Safe Eating Guidelines (PDF)

For more information, contact Lindsay Hammes at Lindsay .Hammes@Maine.gov.

Source: https://www.maine.gov/dhhs/news/maine-cdc-issues-advisories-eating-freshwater-fish-due-pfas-
contamination-former-naval-air-station-fri-o820,2024-i200

An update was issued on October 21, 2024, by Maine. For more information,

https://w\v"vv.maine.gov/dep/news/news.html?id=i^ii8g;o8

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Consumption Advisory for Sucker Fish Species on
Yellowstone River below Billings

Women of reproductive age and young children are advised to not consume the nongame
fish species

On May 31, 2024, the Montana Fish Consumption Advisory Board, consisting of representatives from the Montana
Department of Public Health & Human Services, Montana Department of Environmental Quality, and Montana
Fish, Wildlife & Parks (MFWP), issued an updated consumption advisory for fish on the Yellowstone River.

Women of reproductive age and young children (age zero to six) are advised not to consume any species of sucker
caught in the Yellowstone River from the Highway 212 bridge in Laurel to the confluence with the Bighorn River
due to elevated levels of petroleum hydrocarbons. Sucker species common in the advisory area include shorthead
redhorse, longnose sucker and white sucker. There are no advisories on using sucker meat from this section of river
as bait while angling for other fish species.

The previous consumption advisory for all species of fish on the Yellowstone River from Indian Fort Fishing Access
Site (FAS) to the Highway 212 bridge in Laurel has been lifted.

Sampling Results

Following the discovery of various polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in fish tissue from sampling in July
and August 2023, the MFWP crews collected various fish species at three sites on the Yellowstone River from
September 27—29, 2023 to assess human consumption restrictions.

During the September 2023 sampling, longnose sucker, mountain whitefish, rainbow trout and brown trout were
collected from Otter Creek FAS and Holmgren Ranch FAS. Otter Creek FAS is on the Yellowstone River just
downstream of Big Timber. The Holmgren Ranch FAS is on the Yellowstone River between Reed Point and
Columbus.

Goldeye, smallmouth bass, channel catfish and shorthead redhorse were collected at Voyager's Rest FAS, located on
the Yellowstone River near Worden. Shorthead redhorse collected at Voyager's Rest FAS showed levels of mixtures
of petroleum hydrocarbons high enough to warrant the advisory for women of reproductive age and young children.

The same fish species were not collected at all sites, as the species present in the Yellowstone River change as the
river habitat changes.

Previous Sampling

In July and August 2023, the MFWP crews collected fish from the Yellowstone River to assess physical injuries to
fishes and potential human consumption restrictions as a follow-up to the June 24 train derailment. Fish collected
included mountain whitefish, longnose suckers, shorthead redhorse, rainbow trout and brown trout. Multiple fish
species showed elevated levels of various PAHs high enough to warrant advisories to avoid consumption. Previous
advisories were issued on Aug. 11 and Sept. 19, 2023.

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Next Steps

Additional sampling took place in late June at Otter Creek, Holmgren Ranch and Voyager's Rest FASes on the
Yellowstone River to monitor for human consumption concerns.

Because of their frequent movement throughout river systems, fish cannot be used to determine the source of a
specific contaminant. The Montana Fish Consumption Advisory Board prioritized sampling to monitor for human
health concerns, not contaminant source assessment. Other testing methods will be needed to determine a source of
this specific contaminant in the Yellowstone River. The hydrocarbons detected in the September 2023 fish samples
are widespread compounds in the environment, so finding a specific source may be challenging. Some petroleum
hydrocarbons occur naturally in the environment, especially in the shale rock common in the Yellowstone River
Basin. Petroleum hydrocarbons are also found in products such as oil, gas, plastics, and pesticides—and are
produced through combustion of these products.

Petroleum hydrocarbons, such as those detected in September 2023, contain a complex mixture of chemicals. Some
of the chemicals can have effects on the blood, immune system, lungs, skin, and eyes. Other chemicals may affect
the liver and kidneys. These effects from eating fish have not been recorded in humans. The chemicals that the EPA
and the International Agency for Research on Cancer have determined to be carcinogenic or probably carcinogenic
to humans were not detected in fish samples in September 2023. Most of the chemicals in the mixtures detected in
the fish samples have not been classified as cancer-causing.

For more information on petroleum hydrocarbons, visit: CDC site on Total Petroleum Hydrocarbons fTPFO

For more information, contact Rebecca Harbage, Montana Department of Environmental Quality, at 406-444-2813
and rharbage@mt.gov or Jon Ebelt, Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services, at 406-444-0936
and iebelt@mt.gov or Chrissy Webb, MFWP, at 406-594-1186 and chrislin.webb@mt.gov.

Source: https://dphhs.mt.gov/News/2024/Mav/FishConsumptionAdvisorv

EPA News

The EPA Finalizes First-of-its-Kind Strategy to Protect 900
Endangered Species from Herbicides

Strategy reflects extensive input of growers and other pesticide users

On August 20, 2024, the EPA released its final Herbicide Strategy, an unprecedented step in protecting over 900
federally endangered and threatened (listed) species from the potential impacts of herbicide, which are chemicals
used to control weeds. The EPA will use the strategy to identify measures to reduce the amount of herbicides
exposure to these species when it registers new herbicides and when it reevaluates registered herbicides under a
process called registration review. The final strategy incorporates a wide range of stakeholder input, ensuring the
EPA not only protects species but also preserves a wide range of pesticides for farmers and growers.

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"Finalizing our first major strategy for endangered species is a historic step in the EPA meeting its Endangered
Species Act obligations," said Deputy Assistant Administrator for Pesticide Programs for the Office of
Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention Jake Li. "By identifying protections earlier in the pesticide review
process, we are far more efficiently protecting listed species from the millions of pounds of herbicides applied each
year and reducing burdensome uncertainty for the farmers that use them."

The Biden-Harris Administration's new approaches for protecting endangered species, which include the Herbicide
Strategy, have resolved multiple lawsuits against the EPA. For decades, the EPA has tried to comply with the
Endangered Species Act (ESA) on a pesticide-by-pesticide, species-by-species basis. However, because this
approach is very slow and costly, it resulted in litigation against the agency and uncertainty for users about the
continued availability of many pesticides. At the beginning of 2021, the EPA faced almost two dozen lawsuits
covering thousands of pesticide products due to its longstanding failure to meet ESA obligations for pesticides.

Some of these lawsuits resulted in courts removing pesticides from the market until the EPA ensured the pesticides
comply with the ESA. Now, all but one of those lawsuits has been resolved. Unlike the EPA's historic approach to
compliance, the Herbicide Strategy identifies protections for hundreds of listed species up front and will apply to
thousands of pesticide products as they go through registration or registration review, thus allowing the EPA to
protect listed species much faster.

In July 2023, the EPA released a draft of this strategy for public comment. The EPA received extensive comments,
with many reiterating the importance of protecting listed species from herbicides but also minimizing impacts on
farmers and other pesticide users. In response to comments, the EPA made many improvements to the draft, with
the primary changes falling into three categories:

•	Making the strategy easier to understand and incorporating up-to-date data and refined analyses;

•	Increasing flexibility for pesticide users to implement mitigation measures in the strategy; and,

•	Reducing the amount of additional mitigation that may be needed when users either have already adopted
accepted practices to reduce pesticide runoff or apply herbicides in an area where runoff potential is lower.

The EPA focused this strategy on conventional herbicides used in agriculture in the lower 48 states because the
most herbicides are applied there. In 2022, approximately 264 million acres of cropland were treated with
herbicides, according to the Census of Agriculture from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). The number of
cropland acres treated with herbicides has remained fairly consistent since the early 2010s. The EPA is also focusing
this strategy on species listed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) because herbicides generally impact those
species. For species listed by the National Marine Fisheries Service, the EPA is addressing pesticide impacts
through a separate initiative with that agency.

Final Herbicide Strategy

The final strategy includes more options for mitigation measures compared to the draft, while still protecting listed
species. The strategy also reduces the level of mitigation needed for applicators who have already implemented
measures identified in the strategy to reduce pesticide movement from treated fields into habitats through pesticide
spray drift and runoff from a field. The measures include cover crops, conservation tillage, windbreaks, and

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adjuvants. Further, some measures, such as berms, are enough to fully address runoff concerns. Growers who
already use those measures will not need any other runoff measures. The EPA identified these options for growers
through its collaborations with the USDA under its February 2024 interagency MOU and through over two dozen
meetings and workshops with agricultural groups in 2024 alone.

The final strategy also recognizes that applicators who work with a runoff/erosion specialist or participate in a
conservation program are more likely to effectively implement mitigation measures. These conservation programs
include the USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service practices and state or private stewardship measures
that are effective at reducing pesticide runoff. The strategy reduces the level of mitigation needed for applicators
who employ a specialist or participate in a program. Geographic characteristics may also reduce the level of
mitigation needed, such as farming in an area with flat lands, or with minimal rain such as western U.S. counties
that are in the driest climates. As a result, in many of those counties, a grower may need to undertake few or no
additional runoff mitigations for herbicides that are not very toxic to listed species.

The final strategy uses the most updated information and processes to determine whether an herbicide will impact a
listed species and identify protections to address any impacts. To determine impacts, the strategy considers where a
species lives, what it needs to survive (for example for food or pollinators), where the pesticide will end up in the
environment, and what kind of impacts the pesticide might have if it reaches the species. These refinements allow
the EPA to focus restrictions only in situations where they are needed.

The final strategy will also expedite how the EPA complies with the ESA through future consultations with the FWS
by identifying mitigations to address the potential impacts of each herbicide on listed species even before the
agency completes the consultation process for that herbicide—which in many cases, can take five years or more.
Further, the EPA and FWS expect to formalize their understanding of how this strategy can inform and streamline
future ESA consultations for herbicides.

The final strategy itself does not impose any requirements or restrictions on pesticide use. Rather, the EPA will use
the strategy to inform mitigations for new active ingredient registrations and registration review of conventional
herbicides. The EPA understands that the spray drift and runoff mitigation from the strategy can be complicated for
some pesticide users to adopt for the first time. The EPA has also developed a document that details multiple real-
world examples of how a pesticide applicator could adopt the mitigation from this strategy when those measures
appear on pesticide labels. To help applicators consider their mitigation options, the EPA is developing a mitigation
menu website that the agency will release in fall 2024 and plans to periodically update with additional mitigation
options, allowing applicators to use the most up-to-date mitigations without requiring pesticide product labels to be
amended each time new measures become available. The EPA is also developing a calculator that applicators can
use to help determine what further mitigation measures, if any, they may need to take in light of mitigations they
may already have in place. The EPA will also continue to develop educational and outreach materials to inform the
public and help applicators understand mitigation needs and where descriptions of mitigations are located.

The Final Herbicide Strategy and accompanying support documents are available in docket EPA-HQ-OPP-2023-
0365 at the Regulations.gov page.

Visit the EPA's website to learn more about how the EPA's pesticide program is protecting endangered species. For
more information, contact the EPA Press Office at press@epa.gov.

Source: https://www.epa.gov/newsreleases/epa-finalizes-first-its-kind-strategv-protect-QOO-endangered-species-
herbicides

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Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances and Aquatic Life

As part of the EPA's commitment to safeguard the environment from PFAS, the agency uses its Clean Water Act
authorities to develop recommended water quality criteria and informational benchmarks to help states and
authorized Tribes protect aquatic ecosystems from several PFAS.

•	Aquatic Life Criteria — Perfluorooctanoic Acid (PFOA)

•	Aquatic Life Criteria — Perfluorooctane Sulfonate fPFOS")

•	Clean Water Act Aquatic Life Benchmarks for PFAS

For more information, contact the EPA Press Office at press@epa.gov.

Source: https://www.epa.gov/wqc/pfas-and-aquatic-life

Other News

Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances Detected in Smallmouth Bass
Collected in Mid-Atlantic Watersheds

On September 25, 2024, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) published data and announced the presence of PFAS in
smallmouth bass from Mid-Atlantic watersheds. Plasma from adult smallmouth bass was analyzed for 13 PFAS at 11
sites for a spatial comparison. At four sites a temporal comparison was made over a three-year period (2017-2019).
At two sites tissue comparisons were made using plasma, whole blood, liver, gonad and muscle. Compounds
detected at least once are included in the dataset. For all fish collection sites, date of collection, sex, age, length and
weight are also documented.

For more information, contact Vicki S. Blazer at vblazer@usgs.gov and 304-724-4434 or Heather Walsh at
hwalsh@usgs.gov and 304-724-4445.

Source: https://www.usgs.gov/data/and-polvfluoroalkvl-substances-pfas-detected-smallmouth-bass-collected-
mid-atlantic-watersheds#connect

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Scientists Improve the Way They Measure Fish Fat to Accelerate
Understanding of Fish Population Health

New streamlined method allows scientists to vastly Increase the number of samples they can analyze at a
time, gaining insights into fish population health-information critical for fisheries management

On September 24, 2024, the National
Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration (NOAA) announced
that scientists at the Alaska Fisheries
Science Center streamlined a method
used to determine the amount of
energy-rich fat in fish. As a result, the
number of fish samples they are now
able to analyze has substantially
increased.

Scientists have long regarded lipids
(or fat) as the most important energy
reserve for animals in marine
ecosystems. They are more calorie-
dense than proteins and sugars and
are used to fuel growth. Fish with lower lipid values have slower growth and lower reproductive potential and are
weaker overall. Measuring the total lipid content of fish is widely used as a metric to understand the overall health
and condition of a population. Moreover, prey species with higher lipid content contribute to the overall health of
the predators that eat them.

Traditional methods for analyzing lipids
take a lot of time and produce relatively
few results. On average, a technician can
produce results from 15 samples in an 8-
hour day using gravimetric analysis.
Using the new method, a single
technician can produce results from 6q
samples in an 8-hour dav. The new
method drastically increases
productivity while maintaining very
high accuracy and precision. More data
generated on a faster turnaround is
important for decision-makers to inform
fish stock assessments and fisheries
management 011 tighter time scales.

Bryan Cormack, fisheries biologist at the Alaska Fisheries Science Center, uses a multi-channel
pipette for streamlined high-throughput processing usingthesulfo-phospho-vanillin (SPV) assay.
He processed more than 2,700 SPV samples this past year. (Photo courtesy of the NOAA
Fisheries/Cody Pinger)

Coho salmon from the northern Bering Sea that will be processed for lipid content using the
sulfo phospho-vanillin (SPV) assay. (Photo courtesy of the NOAA Fisheries/Cody Pinger)

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Optimizing the Method for Efficient Data Delivery

"Good data about fish stocks requires large sample sizes," remarks Cod}' Pinger, lead author and analytical chemist
with the Alaska Fisheries Science Center. "And in my experience of measuring fish lipids, laboratory methods are
usually slow and tedious. For nearly a decade, our group has been working to optimize the sulfo-phospho-vanil 1 in
assay, and I'm thrilled to say that we have increased our productivity many-fold while maintaining good accuracy
and precision."

The sulfo-phospho-vanillin (SPV) assay has been long studied as a rapid alternative to traditional methods for lipid
analysis. "We ramped up productivity by adapting the assay to modern chemistry instrumentation, and then
validated these measurements on important Alaska fish stocks," continues Pinger.

The sample processing starts with a fish. For some species, the entire fish is blended into a uniform mixture; for
others, we only process the muscle tissue. The sample is extracted into organic solvent. The following steps include
heat and concentrated sulfuric acid followed by a reaction with vanillin in the presence of phosphoric acid—hence
the name sulfo-phospho-vanillin. This process generates a final product that is a clear liquid with a pink tint. The
darker the pink equates to more lipid in the sample.

From there the sample is passed through a spectrophotometer, which measures the amount of light absorbed by the
sample. This fine-tuned instrument can quantify the amoun t of lipid in each sample. The 96-well format allows the
team to analyze many more samples at once, which streamlines the process and is more efficient than traditional
methods.

Calibrating and Applying the Data

Prior research studies show that achieving high accuracy with this method depends on proper calibration so that it
can be applied to a variety of species.

The chemical reaction between lipids, acid, and
vanillin is dependent on the specific molecular
composition of the fat, which varies between
species of fish. Fat from a salmon filet is
chemically different from fat from a Pacific
cod. In a perfect world, all samples could be
calibrated using a widely available fish oil. In
Pinger and his team's case, they used
menhaden oil for that purpose. However, this
does introduce some error when you're
analyzing many different species with different
lipid profiles.

A 96-well plate of lipids from walleye pollock after performing a SPV assay. The more
intense pink color equates to more lipid in the sample. (Photo courtesy of the NOAA
Fisheries/Cody Pinger)

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To fine-tune the results of the SPV assay using menhaden oil for calibration, the team developed calibration models
for each species analyzed. This study looked at:

•	Pacific herring

•	Cod

•	Pollock

•	Capelin

•	All five species of Alaska Pacific salmon (Chinook, coho, pink, sockeye, and chum)

The results produced data that matched what traditional methods produced. This validated the SPV method and
certified a novel way to measure lipids in Alaska marine fish.

After many years in the making, Cody Pinger and his team are thrilled with the results. Pinger says, "This has been a
long time in the works, and we are all thrilled to be able to provide high quality data in such an efficient manner.
The more information we can provide about the annual status of our ecosystems and fish stocks, the better
for management of these commercially and ecologically important marine resources."

For related information, see this recent publication:

Pinger, C., D. Porter, B. Cormack, C. Fugate, and M. Rogers. 2024. High-Throughput Determination of Total Lipids
from North Pacific Marine Fishes Via the Sulfo-Phospho-Vanillin Microplate Assay. Limnology and Oceanography:
Methods.

For more information, contact codv.pinger@noaa.gov.

Source: https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/feature-storv/scientists-improve-wav-thev-measure-fish-fat-accelerate-
understanding-fish-population

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Lakes in Marginalized Communities Sampled Less, Study Finds

Water is essential for
all forms of life —
humans included —
and understanding
the quality of
available water is
critical to knowing
where to drink,
swim, fish and
otherwise make use
of the resource.

A new analysis, published on September 9, 2024 in Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment. by U.S. National
Science Foundation-funded researchers that combines census data and information on lakes finds that critical
sampling and monitoring is less likely to occur in lakes surrounded by marginalized communities. This disparity
makes assessing the water quality in those communities extremely difficult.

In reviewing both population demographics and one-time monitoring data at the continental scale, the researchers
found that lakes in communities of color were three times less likely to be sampled at least once than lakes in white
communities. The same disparity exists when comparing lakes in Hispanic communities to those in non-Hispanic
communities, the study also found.

The disparity in terms of long-term monitoring — monitoring lakes for 15 years or more — was even greater. Lakes
in communities of color were seven times less likely to have long-term monitoring data when compared to white
communities. The research also found that lakes in Hispanic communities were 19 times less likely to have long-
term monitoring data than lakes in non-Hispanic, communities.

"Where we sample can matter as much as what we sample," said Matt Kane, program director in the U.S. National
Science Foundation Directorate for Biological Sciences. "These findings reveal the need to expand sampling and
monitoring to get an accurate picture of water quality across the country that can serve as the basis for management
and policy decisions."

For more information, contact Matt Kane mkane@nsf.KOv.

Source: https://new.nsf.gov/news/lakes-marginalized-comiminities-sampled-less-studv-

finds#:-~:text=In%20reviewing%2oboth%20population%2odemographies.than%2olakes/'62oin%20white%20com
munities

Satellite imagery of lakes in residential areas. (Photo courtesy of the U.S. National Science Foundation

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United States Geological Survey Science Opportunities Related to
the Nationally Relevant Study of Microplastics

On June 6, 2024, the USGS
released a strategic vision
document that identifies
science gaps and prioritizes
research relevant to the
mission, expertise, and
capabilities of the USGS. The
intention is for the USGS
and stakeholders to use this
as a starting part for
planning, prioritizing, and
designing microplastic
research projects.

The widespread occurrence
of microplastics throughout
our environment and
exposure to humans and

other organisms over the past decade has led to questions about potential health hazards and mitigation of
exposures. Microplastics have been documented in tissues and organs of humans and wildlife, to have effects on
benthic communities, and to cause potential nutritional and reproductive effects in some wildlife species.

The USGS Microplastic Strategic Vision Document describes both short-term (1-2 years) and long-term (3 years +)
science opportunities related to the nationally relevant study of microplastics. These opportunities were identified
through literature gap analysis and alignment with USGS expertise and capabilities.

The Science Opportunities that could be addressed by the USGS capabilities are organized into six
categories:

1.	Environmental Sources, Pathways, and Fate

2.	Human and Wildlife Exposure Routes

3.	Ecotoxicology

4.	Sampling Protocols

5.	Analytical Methods

6.	Interdisciplinary Science to support Microplastic Research

Across the nation, the USGS has broad and unique interdisciplinary expertise, tools, and capabilities, as well as field
and laboratory capacities. The USGS relies on the internal and external collaborative opportunities to utilize these
capabilities and conduct comprehensive research. The interdisciplinary nature of USGS science provides a
framework to understand how microplastics enter the environment, sorb pathogens and chemicals, and transform

Progression of microplastics
in the environment

Sources Pathways Fate

O-O-O

Microplastics

Microplastics Sources, Pathways and Fate Conceptual Diagram. (Photo courtesy of the Environmental Health
Program USGS)

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and move through ecosystems. The USGS utilizes a One Health approach to understand how human health is
intricately linked to the health of plants, animals, and ecosystems.

Utilizing a One Health framework on microplastic. research is a more holistic approach that allows scientists to
better understand and assess the cross disciplinary components (the relation between the ecosystem and the health
of humans and wildlife) rather than working in silos. This approach facilitates the leveraging of resources, more
efficient data collection and more timely results for informing decisions more quickly. The USGS microplastic
strategy complements research conducted by other agencies and provide critical information for regulatory and
other policy decisions.

For more information, contact Rip Shively at rsshivelv@usgs.gov or Deb Iwanowicz at diwanoMCz@usgs.gov

Source: https://www.usgs.gov/programs/environmental-health-Drogram/science/usgs-science-opportunities-
rel ated-n ationallv

Recently Awarded Research

National Fish and Wildlife Foundation Announces $4 Million in
Grants to Support Sustainable Fisheries

Grants will support efficient fisheries data collection and expand innovations to new fisheries

On March 28, 2024, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) and NOAA Fisheries announced $4 million
in grants to support data modernization and electronic data collection in U.S. fisheries. The grants will generate
$7.5 million in matching contributions for a total conservation impact of $11.5 million.

The grants were awarded through

the Electronic Monitoring and
Reporting Grant Program (EMR
Grant Program), a partnership
between NFWF and NOAA
Fisheries and the Walton Family
Foundation.

"Recreational and commercial
fisheries and the species they rely
on all benefit from the availability
of accurate and timely data to
support sustainable fisheries and
coexistence with wildlife," said Jeff Trandahl, executive director and CEO of the NFWTF. "The grants announced
today highlight the NFWF's growing partnership with fishing communities to develop and implement cost efficient
gear and electronic technologies that work for fishermen and expand these benefits to new communities."

Fishing boat near Sitka, Alaska. (Photo courtesy of the NFWF)

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The 17 projects will expand proven electronic technologies to new fisheries, deploy artificial intelligence onboard
vessels to make electronic data collection more efficient, and enhance data collection in some of the nation's largest
fisheries. Projects will support sustainable management efforts in federal and state fisheries in Alaska, California,
Florida, Hawai'i, Maine, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Oregon, Rhode Island and Washington State, along with the
territory of Puerto Rico.

"Together with the NFWF, we are proud to invest in the advancement of electronic data collection and data
modernization to support fisheries management across 10 states and Puerto Rico," said Assistant Administrator for
the NOAA Fisheries, Janet Coit. "These advancements will greatly benefit fishing communities, marine ecosystems,
and improve our science-based sustainable fisheries management efforts in the face of our changing climate."

This year's grants include multiple projects to build tools and capacity for conservation partners to collect timely
and accurate data. One example is a project working to equip tribal government partners with hardware to
electronically collect and share fisheries survey and environmental data from the field, providing long-term
efficiency gains for the partnership while enhancing data available for conservation decision making. Additional
projects will continue the growth of electronic monitoring and electronic reporting in fisheries around the United
States.

"Innovative ideas like these work to modernize fisheries by increasing the speed and transparency of data. They can
also decrease the cost of monitoring. All of which can help managers and fishermen operate successful, sustainable
businesses," said Cara Eisel, Program Officer at the Walton Family Foundation. "This work will help support
sustainable fisheries for generations to come."

The EMR Grant Program was established in 2015 to advance the NOAA Fisheries' sustainable fisheries goals to
partner with fishermen and other stakeholders, state agencies and fishery information networks to integrate
technology into fisheries data collection and observations. To date, the program has awarded more than $32.9
million to 112 projects in U.S. fisheries and has generated an additional conservation impact of $49.3 million
through matching contributions. In 2023, Congress appropriated $3.5 million to the NOAA Fisheries for this
program's 2023-2024 slate of awards.

A complete list of the grants made through the Electronic Monitoring and Reporting Program is available here.

For more information, contact Rob Blumenthal at 202-857-0166 or rob.blumenthal@nfwf.org.

Source: https://www.nfwf.org/media-center/press-releases/nfwf-announces-4-million-grants-support-
sustainable-fisheries

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Fish and Shellfish Program newsletter

November 2024

Tech and Tools

Larval Fish Abundance, Identification, and Auxiliary Data from the
Great Lakes and Their Connecting Waters, 2006-2022

On October 1, 2024, the USGS published a dataset containing data collected on various vessel operations on the
Great Lakes and their connecting channels, primarily the St. Clair River, St. Marys River, Lake St. Clair, Detroit
River, and Lake Erie, although other locations have been sampled and included in this dataset. This dataset
contains the field variables, environmental conditions, larval catches (numbers), larval fish identifications, larval
fish measurements, and associated auxiliary information with the sampling locations.

For more information, contact Robin L DeBruyne at rdebruvne@usgs.gov or 734-214-7228, Edward F Roseman at
eroseman@usgs.gov. or Stacey A Ireland at sireland@usgs.gov or 734-214-7261.

Source: https://www.usgs.gov/data/larval-fish-abundance-identification-and-auxiliarv-data-great-lakes-and-their-
connecting-o

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Fish and Shellfish Program newsletter

November 2024

Recent Publications

Journal Articles

The list below provides a selection of research articles.

~	Catch Uncertainty and Recreational Fishing Attraction: Propositions and Future Research Directions.

Arlinghaus, R. 2024. Catch Uncertainty and Recreational Fishing Attraction: Propositions and Future Research Directions. Fish and
Fisheries 25(5):761-780.

~	Analysis of Total MicrocvstinsbvLemieux Oxidation and Liquid Chromatographv-Mass Spectrometry in Fish and Mussels Tissues: Optimization
and Comparison of Protocols.

Bouteiller, P., R. Bire, A.J. Foss, T. Guerin, and E. Lance. 2024. Analysis of Total Microcystins by Lemieux Oxidation and Liquid
Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry in Fish and Mussels Tissues: Optimization and Comparison of Protocols. Science of The Total
Environment 950:175339.

~	U.S. Lakes Are Monitored Disproportionately Less in Communities of Color.

Dfaz Vazquez, J., I.M. McCullough, M. Haite, P.A. Soranno, and K.S. Cheruvelil. 2024. U.S. Lakes Are Monitored Disproportionately
Less in Communities of Color. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environments2803.

~	A Global Test of MPA Spillover Benefits to Recreational Fisheries.

Franceschini, S., J. Lynham, and E.M. Madin. 2024. A Global Test of MPASpillover Benefits to Recreational Fisheries. Science
Advances 10(29):eado9783.

~	The Great Lakes Future Fishers Initiative: Supportingthe Next Generation of Great Lakes Commercial Fishing and Seafood Processing Industries

Jescovitch, L.N., S. Moen, F. Abdl-Haleem, and T.S. Seilheimer. 2024. The Great Lakes Future Fishers Initiative: Supportingthe
Next Generation ofGreat Lakes Commercial Fishing and Seafood Processing Industries. Fisheries 49(3): 108-116.

~	Early Pandemic Recreational Fishing Patterns across the Urban-to-Rural Gradient in the U.S.

Kaz, A.L., M.D. Kaller, A.J. Lynch, and S.R. Midway. 2024. Early Pandemic Recreational Fishing Patterns across the Urban-to-Rural
Gradient in the U.S. Fisheries Research 276:107021.

~	Inland Recreational Fisheries Contribute Nutritional Benefits and Economic Value but Are Vulnerable to Climate Change.

Lynch, A.J., H.S. Embke, E.A. Nyboer, L.E. Wood, A. Thorpe, S.C. Phang, D.F. Viana, C.D. Golden, M. Milardi, and R. Arlinghaus.
2024. Inland Recreational Fisheries Contribute Nutritional Benefits and Economic Value but Are Vulnerable to Climate Change.
Nature Food'.5:433-443.

~	Assessment. Distribution, and Ecological Risk of Contaminants of Emerging Concern in a Surface Water-Sediment-Fish System Impacted by
Wastewater.

Manjarres-Lopez, D.P., N. Montemurro, N. Ulrich, R.-U. Ebert, A. Jahnke, and S. Perez. 2024. Assessment, Distribution, and
Ecological Risk of Contaminants of Emerging Concern in a Surface Water-Sediment-Fish System Impacted by Wastewater. Science
of The Total Environment 935:173358.

~	High-throughput determination of total lipids from North Pacific marine fishes via the sulfo-phospho-vanillin microplate assay

Pinger, C., D. Porter, B. Cormack, C. Fugate, and M. Rogers. 2024. High-Throughput Determination of Total Lipids from North
Pacific Marine Fishes Via the Sulfo-Phospho-Vanillin Microplate Assay. Limnology and Oceanography Methods.

~	Environmental DNAasaTool for Better Understanding the Distribution. Abundance, and Health of Atlantic Salmon and Pacific Salmon.

Ramey, A.M., C.M. McKeeman, E.L. Petrou, D.M. Menning, O.L. Russ, and J.A. Lopez. 2024. Environmental DNA as a Tool for Better
Understanding the Distribution, Abundance, and Health of Atlantic Salmon and Pacific Salmon. Fisheries 49(4): 169-180.

~	Valuing Shoreline Habitats for Recreational Fishing.

Scheld, A.M., D.M. Bilkovic, S. Stafford, K. Powers, S. Musick, and A.G. Guthrie. 2024. Valuing Shoreline Habitats for Recreational
Fishing. Ocean & Coastal Management 253:107150.

~	Development and Validation of a LC-MS Method for the Quantification of Microcystins in Fish forTheir Monitoring in Environmental and Food
Context.

Van Camp, C., W.H.R. Van Hassel, J. Van Wichelen, and J. Masquelier. 2024. Development and Validation of a LC-MS Method for
the Quantification of Microcystins in Fish forTheir Monitoring in Environmental and Food Context. Journal of Agriculture and Food
Research 18:101374.

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Fish and Shellfish Program newsletter

November 2024

Upcoming Meetings and Conferences

2024 Great Lakes PFAS Summit	85th Midwest Fish & Wildlife Conference

December 3-5, 2024	January 19-22, 2025

Virtual	St. Louis, Missouri

American Fisheries Society	SETAC North America 46th Annual Meeting

August 10-14, 2025	November 16-20, 2025

San Antonio, TX	Portland, OR

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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