An analysis in support of sediment quality thresholds for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) to protect estuarine fish

1. Under the US Endangered Species Act and the Essential Fish Habitat provisions of the Sustainable Fisheries Act, it is the responsibility of the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) to safeguard the health of fish in estuarine and coastal waters. 2. This includes assessment of the impacts of exposure to toxic chemicals on fish and their critical habitat. 3. This analysis was conducted to assist NMFS resource managers in determining when fish are exposed to potentially harmful concentrations of one of the most common environmental contaminants, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). 4. Effects thresholds were estimated primarily through segmented regression of site-specific sediment PAH concentrations and associated disease prevalences in a resident fish species, English sole, Pleuronectes vetulus. 5. The analyses and supporting data encompass several endpoints, including DNA damage, liver lesions, and impacts on growth and reproduction. 6. In general, liver lesion prevalences, DNA adduct levels, and impacts on growth and reproduction were minimal at sediment PAH concentrations at or below 1000 ppb. Above 1000 ppb, there appears to be a substantial increase in the risk of contaminant-related injury to English sole. Published in 2002 by John Wiley Sons, Ltd.