Biomarker for Fish Health at Superfund Sites

Applied Marine Sciences, Inc. (AMS) is a Core-Team member in this EPA funded research project investigating the feasibility of using non-destructive fish-gill biopsies to monitor the impact of marine contamination at Superfund sites. The study, coordinated by the Pacific Northwest Research Institute, is designed to advance the scientific understanding of the relationships between sediment contamination, tissue morphology (histology) and a group of sensitive biomarkers (P-450 Cyp 1A) relating to fish health. Specific Superfund contaminants being targeted by the study include Polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons and halogenated aromatic hydrocarbons. Study and control sites include San Francisco Bay, Tomales Bay, and Puget Sound. Multiple fish tissues (muscle, gill, and liver) are carefully removed using ultra-clean techniques in the field, from select species of fish caught using non-stressing capture techniques. AMS is responsible for all field fish and sediment collections and will participate in data interpretation and report writing