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| Columbia Environmental Research Center |
1995 BEST Data
The BEST Program is designed to identify and understand the effects of
environmental contaminants on biological resources, particularly those resources
under the stewardship of the Department of the Interior (DOI). BEST provides
sound scientific information to be used proactively to prevent or limit
contaminant-related effects on biological resources.
The primary goals of BEST
are to: (1) determine the status and trends of environmental contaminants and
their effects on biological resources, (2) identify, assess and predict the
effects of contaminants on ecosystems and biological populations, and (3)
provide summary information in a timely manner to managers and the public for
guiding conservation efforts. To address these goals, BEST will use different
approaches, involving a combination of field biomonitoring methods and
information assessment tools, for examining contaminant issues at the national,
regional, and local levels.
Fish, primarily common carp (Cyprinus carpio) and
largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides), were sampled from a total of 48
stations (34 former NCBP stations, 13 NAWQA sites, and one reference site) in
the Mississippi River drainage by USFWS, USGS and NBS (now USGS) personnel during
August-December 1995. Together, the array of sites, analyses, and assays will
provide a synoptic overview of the current distribution of a wide variety of
contaminants and their effects on fish in much of the Mississippi River
drainage, in addition to evaluating the feasibility and performance of using new
methods together in a battery of tests.
