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Research Technical Report

A PDF version of this report is available at:

http://www.waterboards.ca.gov/water_issues/programs/swamp/coast_study.shtml

Contaminants in Fish from the California Coast, 2009-2010: Summary Report on a Two-Year Screening Survey


Davis, J.A., J.R.M. Ross, S.N. Bezalel, J.A. Hunt, A.R. Melwani, R.M. Allen, G. Ichikawa, A. Bonnema, W.A. Heim, D. Crane, S. Swenson, C. Lamerdin, M. Stephenson, and K. Schiff (May 2012)

A Report of the Surface Water Ambient Monitoring Program (SWAMP). California State Water Resources Control Board, Sacramento, CA. 77pp.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY (excerpt)


A two-year screening survey of contaminants in fish on the California coast was conducted in 2009 and 2010. This report presents new data from sampling that focused on the North and Central coasts in 2010. Five species were examined at each sampling location. The array of species selected for sampling included those known to accumulate high concentrations of contaminants and therefore serve as informative indicators of potential contamination problems. Contaminant concentrations in fish tissue were evaluated using thresholds developed by the California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) for methylmercury, PCBs, dieldrin, DDTs, chlordanes, and selenium, and a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency threshold for methylmercury that is being used by the State Water Resources Control Board to identify impaired water bodies.

Suggested Citation:

Davis, J.A., J.R.M. Ross, S.N. Bezalel, J.A. Hunt, A.R. Melwani, R.M. Allen, G. Ichikawa, A. Bonnema, W.A. Heim, D. Crane, S. Swenson, C. Lamerdin, M. Stephenson, and K. Schiff. 2010. Contaminants in Fish from the California Coast, 2009-2010: Summary Report on a Two-Year Screening Survey. A Report of the Surface Water Ambient Monitoring Program (SWAMP). California State Water Resources Control Board, Sacramento, CA.

Reviewed: September 08, 2023
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