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National Status and Trends: Mussel Watch Program

Published by National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science | National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce | Metadata Last Checked: December 19, 2025 | Last Modified: 2010-07-30T00:00:00.000+00:00

Mussel Watch is the longest running continuous chemical contaminant monitoring program in U.S. coastal and Great Lakes waters and was created in response to concerns over environmental quality of the Nation's coastal and estuarine ecosystems. The Program analyzes chemical and biological contaminant trends in sediment and bivalve tissue collected at over 300 coastal sites from 1986 to present. Parameters monitored include over 150 organic and inorganic contaminants, in sediment and bivalve tissue and bivalve histology; and Clostridium perfringens (pathogen) concentrations. Some of the chemicals regularly quantified include: PAHs, PCBs, chlorinated pesticides including DDT and its metabolites, TBT and its metabolites, major andtrace elements. In addition to the aforementioned legacy contaminants, new contaminants of Emerging Concern (CECs) such as flame retardant polybrominated biphnyl ethers (PBDEs) and pharmaceutics are being analyzed.

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OCEAN > ATLANTIC OCEAN > NORTH ATLANTIC OCEAN > GULF OF AMERICA Environmental Monitoring Mussel Watch NCCOS Research Data Type > Field Observation NCCOS Research Priority > Long-term Monitoring NCCOS Research Priority > Stressors, Impacts, Mitigation, and Restoration (SIMR) NCCOS Research Topic > Bioeffects/Toxicity NCCOS Research Topic > Chemical Contaminants NCCOS Research Topic > Monitoring PAH PBDE PCB Sediment TBT bivalve mollusk butyltins coastal ecosystem science coastal monitoring contaminant gonadal index histopathology inorganic and organic analytes mercury metal mussel nsandt organochlorine oyster pesticide polybrominated diphenyl ether polychlorinated biphenyl polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons trace element Alaska East Coast Great Lakes Gulf Coast Gulf of Mexico Hawaii Mussel Watch Place Keywords NCCOS Research Location > Geographic Area > Coastal Ocean NCCOS Research Location > Region > Alaska NCCOS Research Location > Region > East Coast NCCOS Research Location > Region > Great Lakes NCCOS Research Location > Region > Gulf of Mexico NCCOS Research Location > Region > Hawaii NCCOS Research Location > Region > International NCCOS Research Location > Region > U.S. Caribbean NCCOS Research Location > Region > West Coast NCCOS Research Location > U.S. States and Territories > Alabama NCCOS Research Location > U.S. States and Territories > Alaska NCCOS Research Location > U.S. States and Territories > California NCCOS Research Location > U.S. States and Territories > Connecticut NCCOS Research Location > U.S. States and Territories > Delaware NCCOS Research Location > U.S. States and Territories > Florida NCCOS Research Location > U.S. States and Territories > Georgia NCCOS Research Location > U.S. States and Territories > Hawaii NCCOS Research Location > U.S. States and Territories > Illinois NCCOS Research Location > U.S. States and Territories > Indiana NCCOS Research Location > U.S. States and Territories > Louisiana NCCOS Research Location > U.S. States and Territories > Maine NCCOS Research Location > U.S. States and Territories > Maryland NCCOS Research Location > U.S. States and Territories > Massachusetts NCCOS Research Location > U.S. States and Territories > Michigan NCCOS Research Location > U.S. States and Territories > Minnesota NCCOS Research Location > U.S. States and Territories > Mississippi NCCOS Research Location > U.S. States and Territories > New Jersey NCCOS Research Location > U.S. States and Territories > New York NCCOS Research Location > U.S. States and Territories > North Carolina NCCOS Research Location > U.S. States and Territories > Ohio NCCOS Research Location > U.S. States and Territories > Oregon NCCOS Research Location > U.S. States and Territories > Puerto Rico NCCOS Research Location > U.S. States and Territories > Rhode Island NCCOS Research Location > U.S. States and Territories > South Carolina NCCOS Research Location > U.S. States and Territories > Texas NCCOS Research Location > U.S. States and Territories > Virginia NCCOS Research Location > U.S. States and Territories > Washington NCCOS Research Location > U.S. States and Territories > Wisconsin Puerto Rico United States West Coast DOC/NOAA/NOS/NCCOS > National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science, National Ocean Service, NOAA, U.S. Department of Commerce NSandT

Complete Metadata

describedByType	application/octet-steam
identifier	gov.noaa.nmfs.inport:39400
issued	2010-07-30T00:00:00.000+00:00
landingPage	https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/inport/item/39400
language	[]
references	[ "https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/inportserve/waf/noaa/nos/nccos/dmp/pdf/39400.pdf" ]
rights	otherRestrictions, unclassified
spatial	-66.1813,17.93917,-162.7207,61.13283
temporal	1985-11-01T00:00:00+00:00/1985-11-01T00:00:00+00:00

Location

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