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Description:
Project Manager:
Tony Pait
Project Years:
2017
Project Summary:
In 2015, NCCOS scientists characterized chemical contaminants in fish tissues and sediments in Cocos Lagoon, Guam. Very low levels of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) were detected in sediments. Fish caught around Cocos Island at the southern end of Cocos Lagoon, however, contained high concentrations of PCBs; many were above the USEPA recreational fisher guideline, as was found in earlier USCG-funded work. There is currently significant concern among local citizens and resource managers regarding the implications of PCBs in Cocos Lagoon. Typically, sediments are a reservoir for chemical contaminants, and often a source of contaminants subsequently taken up by aquatic biota. To assess if dissolved concentrations of PCBs are present in the water column and possibly a source for the PCBs found in the fish, NCCOS will be partnering with Guam EPA, USEPA, and with NOAA CRCP and NMFS Habitat Conservation Division personnel to deploy an array of the PED passive water samplers in the waters around Cocos Island for approximately one month. Upon retrieval, the PEDs will be sent to a NOAA contract laboratory for analysis. The analysis of the PEDs will help show if PCBs in the water column around Cocos Island may be a means for their accumulation in the fish there.
Expected Outcome:
This project will provide data and metadata, as well as a technical report on the presence of PCBs in the waters surrounding Cocos Island in Cocos Lagoon, Guam. An outreach one-pager will also be developed.
Project Locations:
Jursdiction Priority Sites:
Project Category:
Land-based Sources of Pollution (LBSP)
Project Type:
Closed
Project Status:
Funding Ended
Associated Products:
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