Bioeffects Assessment in Kvichak and Nushagak Bay, Alaska: Characterization of Soft Bottom Benthic Habitats, Fish Body Burdens and Contaminant Baseline Assessment

The goal of this project is to assess habitat conditions that influence biodiversity and distribution of benthic infaunal communities, contaminants, and chemical body burdens of resident organisms as measures of environmental health in Bristol Bay. Bristol Bay boasts one of the largest commercial and subsistence salmon fisheries in the world. Significant mining activities have been proposed within the bay's watershed that could impact Bristol Bay chemistry and biology, but baseline data are lacking. Baseline data will be essential for monitoring pollution control effectiveness in the watershed. The datasets generated from this study will be incorporated into the NOAA's National Status and Trend (NS&T) Program database which has been developing a dynamic quantitative database on contaminants, toxicity and benthic infaunal species distribution assessed in the coastal U.S. since 1991. Therefore, the value of this project stems not only from the importance of the locale, but also from the fact that it will continue to expand the Alaskan data set in a national online database readily accessible to Alaskan coastal managers, scientific and local communities, and which will support the Alaska Fish Monitoring Program. This is a collaborative effort between the NOAA National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS), the Univ. of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF), and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS). NPRB supplemental funding will allow the collaborators to conduct a comprehensive synoptic assessment of Nushagak and Kvichak Bays, which would not be otherwise possible.

Specific objectives of the study were to: 1. Describe the concentrations and spatial distribution of contaminants in Kvichak and Nushagak Bay; 2. Quantify chemical body burdens of resident fish species (smelt and flounder). 3. Quantify pathogens and characterize the benthic macroinvertebrate community in terms of species richness, abundance, and characteristics of the benthic infaunal community in Kvichak and Nushagak Bay; 4. Describe the incidence, severity and spatial extent of toxicity in the bays; 5. Describe the study results in relation to known or suspected sources of contamination; 6. Describe statistical relationships between levels of contaminants and adverse biological effects, and identify chemicals of concern in terms of regional environmental quality and adverse biological effects; 7. Compare environmental conditions within sub-areas of Bristol Bay and compare estimates of toxicity in Kvichak and Nushagak Bay with those in other estuaries based on comparable data. The dataset objective is to report information about chemical residues in sediment and resident organisms, sediment toxicity, and pathogens and benthic infauna characteristics of the Bristol Bay systems.

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Apeti, D.A., S.I. Hartwell, W.E. Johnson and G.G. Lauenstein. 2012. National Status and Trends Bioeffects Progam: Field Methods. NOAA National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science, Center for Coastal Monitoring and Asssessment. NOAA NCCOS Technical Memorandum 135. Silver Spring, MD.27 pp. Meyers, T. R., and J. D. Hendricks. 1985. Histopathology. In G.M. Rand and S.R. Petrocelli (editors), Fundamentals of aquatic toxicology, p. 283-331. Hemisphere, Washington, DC. McDonald, S. J., D. S. Frank, J. A. Ramirez, B. Wang, and J. M. Brooks. 2006. Ancillary Methods of the National Status and Trends Program: Update 2000-2006, NOAA Technical Memorandum, NOS NCCOS 28. Kimbrough K.L. and G.G. Lauenstein. 2006a. Organic Contaminant Analytical Methods of the National Status and Trends Program: 2000-2006. U.S. Dept. Comm. NOAA Technical Memorandum 30, NOS NCCOS, Silver Spring, MD. Kimbrough, K.L. and G.G. Lauenstein. 2006b. Trace Metal Analytical Methods of the National Status and Trends Program: 2000-2006. US Dept. Comm., NOAA Technical Memorandum 29, NOS NCCOS, Silver Spring, MD. Hartwell, S.I., A.D. Apeti,., L.W. Claflin, W.E. Johnson, and K.L. Kimbrough. 2009. Sediment Quality Triad Assessment in Kachemak Bay: Characterization of Soft Bottom Benthic Habitats and Contaminant Bioeffects Assessment. North Pacific Research Board Final Report 726, 138pp.

PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATORS - S. Ian Hartwell, NOAA NCCOS, National Status and Trends Program; Dennis Apeti, NOAA NCCOS, National Status and Trends Program; Tony Pait, NOAA Ocean Service, National Status and Trends Program. Todd Radenbaugh, 2University of Alaska Fairbanks, Bristol Bay Campus; Ron Britton, 3U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, Forest Service. SAMPLE COLLECTION INVESTIGATORS - Ian Hartwell, NOAA Ocean Service, National Status and Trends Program; Dennis Apeti, NOAA Ocean Service, National Status and Trends Program; Tony Pait, NOAA NCCOS, National Status and Trends Program; SAMPLE PROCESSING INVESTIGATORS - Contaminant analyses: Organic and inorganic chemicals in sediment: TDI Brooks Inc., College Station, TX SAMPLE PROCESSING INVESTIGATORS - Sediment physico-characteristics Grain size and total organic content: TDI Brooks Inc., College Station, TX SAMPLE PROCESSING INVESTIGATORS - Benthos taxonomy: Allan Fukuyama, FHT Environmental, Edmonds, WA; SAMPLE PROCESSING INVESTIGATORS - Toxicity and Bioassays: Mike Fulton, Cheryl Woodley, NCCOS Center of Coastal Health and Biomolecular Health Research, Charleston, SC; SAMPLE PROCESSING INVESTIGATORS -Histopathology: John Jacobs, NCCOS Cooperative Oxford Laboratory. DATA COLLECTION METHODS: Field sampling procedures followed standard NS&T methods (Apeti, et al. 2012) except that samples were collected with a Smith-McIntyre sampler (0.1 m^2 surface area grab).

The data dictionary may be found at: http://coastalscience.noaa.gov/datasets/nsandt/dictionaries/AllElse_Data_Dictionary.pdf

National Status and Trends Program - reference data dictionary: http://coastalscience.noaa.gov/datasets/nsandt/dictionaries/Sites_Data_Dictionary.pdf

These data were prepared by an agency of the United States Government. Neither the United States Government nor any agency thereof, nor any of their employees, make any warranty, expressed or implied, or assumes any legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information, apparatus, product, or process disclosed in this report, or represents that its use would not infringe privately owned rights. Reference therein to any specific commercial product, process, or service by trade name, trademark, manufacturer, or otherwise does not necessarily constitute or imply its endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by the United States Government or any agency thereof. Any views and opinions of authors expressed herein do not necessarily state or reflect those of the United States Government or any agency thereof. Although all data have been used by NOAA, no warranty, expressed or implied, is made by NOAA as to the accuracy of the data and/or related materials. The act of distribution shall not constitute any such warranty, and no responsibility is assumed by NOAA in the use of these data or related materials.

None

NOAA requests that all individuals who download NOAA data acknowledge the source of these data in any reports, papers, or presentations. If you publish these data, please include a statement similar to: "Some or all of the data described in this article were produced by the NOAA's Ocean Service through its National Status and Trends Program (NSandT)"

MEASUREMENT QUALITY OBJECTIVES: Sample collection followed established protocols for the National Status and Trends Program (Apeti et al.2012). The measurement quality objectives of NSandT specify accuracy and precision requirements of 30% for organic analytes and 15% for inorganic analytes. QA procedures include running blanks, spiked samples, and standard reference materials with each batch of samples. Any batch failing to meet the specifications is reanalyzed or rejected. The QA Criteria may be found in NOAA's Tech Memo NOS NCCOS 30 and 29. The standard NSandT analytical protocols are described in Kimbrough et al. (2006a and 2006b). Fish histopathology analysis was performed at the NCCOS' Oxford Laboratory (Howard et al., 2004). Fish histopathology characterization consisted of quantifying infection intensity of parasites, the occurrence and extent of tissue pathologies, and the intensity of diseases all of which were determined using quantitative or semi-quantitative measures.

Data are believed to be complete

Sample collection followed established protocols for the National Status and Trends Program. The analytical instruments were calibrated by standard laboratory procedures. In total, approximately 5% of all analyses were QC analyses. Processing quality was considered acceptable if the following criteria were met: blanks were less than three times the minimum detection limit; accuracy, as determined by analysis of reference materials, was within 30% for organic analytes and within 20% for inorganic analytes; and precision, as determined by replicate analyses, was within 30% for organic analytes and within 20% for inorganic analytes. Additional specifications and guidelines are presented in Valente and Strobel (1993). Contact the project manager for additional information on the Quality Assurance Project Plan