Designing a Fish and Shellfish Contaminant Monitoring Program

After reading this section, you should research and understand considerations to select your monitoring strategy. Once you select a monitoring strategy, you can use the sampling design elements to write and inform your Project Work Plan and your Sampling Plan.

Monitoring Objectives

There are three monitoring objectives:

1. Identify frequently fished sites, sites that are contaminated, and commonly consumed fish and/or shellfish target species that may pose potential human health risk if ingested in certain amounts.
2. Assess and verify the magnitude of fish tissue contamination for commonly consumed target species.
3. Assess the geographic extent of contamination in selected size classes of commonly caught and consumed target fish species.

Considerations for Selecting a Monitoring Strategy

The monitoring strategy should clearly define the scope and resource needs of a contaminant monitoring program. There are several components to consider when selecting a fish contaminant monitoring strategy:

• Contaminant Data Availability
• Funding
• Target Audience

Types of Monitoring Strategies

The monitoring strategy describes the overall process for obtaining the field data necessary to develop the fish consumption advisory. The two strategies are the Integrated Approach and the Multi-phase Approach.

The Integrated Approach is a streamlined strategy that builds on existing information, and therefore increases efficiency in study design and execution while decreasing analytical costs. The Integrated Approach is used for established programs or a situation in which there is institutional contaminant knowledge and limited funding.

The Multi-phase Approach (“tiered assessment approach” in past versions of this guidance) consists of an initial screening study followed by more intensive phases to determine the magnitude of tissue contamination in multiple size classes and the geographic extent of contamination. The Multi-phase Approach should be utilized for a new contaminant monitoring program with sufficient funds. If funds are limited, an Enhanced Phase 1 Approach may be utilized in which an expanded Phase 1 is completed, but Phases 2 and 3 are eliminated. However, the result may be too conservative of a fish advisory. For example, without funds to determine contaminant levels in fish based on fish size, the conservative conclusion of a ban on eating a fish species for a particular waterbody may be made.

Sampling Design Elements

The monitoring strategy has seven sampling design elements. The sampling design elements are described in detail for each monitoring strategy – Integrated Approach and Multi-phase Approach.

1. Sampling sites
2. Target species and size classes
3. Target contaminants
4. Sampling times and frequency
5. Individual, composite, and other sample types – Fish and Shellfish
6. Quality assurance & quality control
7. Sample analysis

The sampling design elements are important components of the Project Work Plan and Sampling Plan, which should be developed before field work begins.

The Project Work Plan documents the sampling design elements, defines personnel roles and responsibilities, and includes routine sample collection procedures, either as standard operating procedures or appendices to document the methods used and to facilitate assessment of final data quality and comparability.

The Sampling Plan includes the sampling design elements (site locations, target species, alternative species, number and size range of individuals, target contaminants, sampling dates, sample type, number of field replicates), study objective, sampling method, field recordkeeping, sample handling, and any additional instructions necessary for the sample collection team.