Data Management Plan

The National Status and Trends (NSandT) Benthic Surveillance Fluorescent Aromatic Compounds (FAC) file reports the trace concentrations of Fluorescent Aromatic Compounds. The presence of FACs in fish liver and bile indicate exposure to toxins, such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). The Benthic Surveillance Fluorescent Aromatic Compounds file is constructed as a horizontally formatted table.

Process Steps:

• 1991-01-01 00:00:00 - The primary collection apparatus was Otter trawls. Occasionally, along the Southeast and Gulf Coasts, fish were taken with seine nets, gill nets, or with hook and line. These alternate collection methods were necessary because larger fish, such as older Atlantic croaker, were able to avoid an Otter trawl, or were found in untrawlable habitats such as shallow water, along marsh edges, and over oyster reefs. Fish in the correct size range were dissected in the onboard laboratory immediately after collection. This ensured that a determination could be made regarding whether sufficient material had been collected and whether the sample material was of high quality. If either one of these criteria was not met, the opportunity existed to continue sample collection. Because most fish were dissected onboard ship, a special effort was made to develop an environment as close to clean-room conditions as possible. All fish were dissected in positive pressure laminar flow hoods. Air was drawn into the laminar flow hood from above and filtered by a high efficiency particle attenuator (HEPA) filter before it passed over the fish samples. Stainless steel tools were used to dissect fish for organic analysis. Titanium tools were used to dissect fish for trace metal analyses because tools made of this element do not pose the problem of introducing nickel, chromium, and/or iron into the specimens to be analyzed. Specimens were analyzed for the latter three elements by the NSandT Program. After knives had been sharpened, and before dissections began at a new site or of a new species, the dissection equipment was thoroughly cleaned with detergent solution, rinsed extensively with tap water, rinsed in distilled or high-purity water (i.e., milli-Q or HPLC-grade water), rinsed with isopropanol (dichloromethane before 1990) under a fume hood, followed by a rinse with distilled water, and placed on a similarly cleaned Teflon cutting board that was allowed to air-dry in the laminar-flow hood. Between individual fish of the same species at the same site, the tools were rinsed with distilled water before any fluid or tissue had a chance to dry on the knife. Sexually mature fish were primarily used in this program, determined by size of each species.Process Date Range is 1984 - 1991