Short list techniques proposed for use in the Department of Interior`s status and trends monitoring
- National Biological Service, Portland, OR (United States)
- National Biological Service, Atlanta, GA (United States)
- National Biological Service, Denver, CO (United States)
- National Biological Service, Anchorage, AK (United States)
The Biomonitoring of Environmental Status and Trends (BEST) program was initiated by the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) in 1991 and transferred to the National Biological Service (NBS) in 1993. The purpose of the program is to collect data across spatial (local, regional, national) and temporal scales regarding occurrence of environmental contaminants and their effects on ecosystems. This information can assist decision-makers in selecting management practices which prevent or reduce contaminant-related impacts on wildlife. The BEST program is developing two complementary monitoring components (the site-specific Problem Identification and Status and Trends programs) to assess contaminant impacts on habitats and organisms. These components require the use of four lines of evidence -- residue analyses, biomarkers, toxicity bioassays and effects on community structure and function. A 1994 workshop involving EPA, USFWS, NBS and non-government experts recommended bioassessment techniques under each of the four lines of evidence. From this, a ``short list`` of selected toxicity tests, analytical techniques, biomarkers and measures of population was proposed for potential nationwide use in the developing Status and Trends component of the BEST program. Biomarker techniques to assess potential reproductive impairment/endocrine disruption in birds and fish as well as fish population assessment techniques were ranked highly in the proposed short list of BEST methods. These and other methods from the ``short list`` are being evaluated in fish both by NBS as a component of the USGS NAWQA program (1994 pilot reconnaissance study on major US rivers) as well as by NBS and USFWS in a 1995 pilot study in the Mississippi Valley Drainage Basin.
- OSTI ID:
- 244883
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-9511137--; ISBN 1-880611-03-1
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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