Fish Mercury Project Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment California Environmental Protection Agency DEVELOPING SAFE EATING GUIDELINES FOR CENTRAL VALLEY SPORT FISH Robert Brodberg, Margy Gassel, Susan Klasing, and Sue Roberts

Fish Mercury Project OEHHA’s Activities  Task 1 & 3: Monitoring design to characterize water bodies to support developing advisories. Formulate monitoring plans for sport fish.  Task 7: Assess risks in water bodies using existing data or project data and develop fish consumption advisories.  Task 8: Communicate risks and safe eating guidelines using advisories and associated materials.

Fish Mercury Project Monitoring Overview Year 1  Cosumnes, Mokelumne & Feather Rivers  San Joaquin River and Delta from Mokelumne River south  Salmon, steelhead, hatchery trout Year 2  Sacramento River & tributaries & north Delta  Lake Shasta and other northern reservoirs  Striped bass, shad, sturgeon Year 3  San Joaquin R. tributaries and reservoirs

Fish Mercury Project 2005 ACTIVITIES  Detailed sampling plan  Interactive coordination monitoring - Spreadsheet target sites, species & number samples - DFG reported collections on a regular basis – OEHHA feedback - OEHHA created analysis instructions - Coordinated resampling  Coordination of organics analyses - SRWP - Region 5, SWAMP

Collection Spreadsheet

Analysis Spreadsheet

Resampling Instructions

Fish Mercury Project 2005 ACTIVITIES (cont.)  OEHHA workplan for advisory development  Coordination of Delta communication materials with DHS  Coordination of advisory outreach & materials - Lake Berryessa & Putah Creek - Advisory pocket cards for Lake Berryessa & Putah Creek - Lower Cosumnes & Mokelumne Rivers  Draft Advisory Lower Cosumnes & Mokelumne Rivers

Fish Mercury Project Putah Creek Pocket Card

Cosumnes and Mokelumne River Sampling Sites

MEAN MERCURY CONCENTRATIONS in Fish from the Lower Cosumnes River SPECIESMERCURY(ppm)LENGTH(mm) SAMPLE SIZE Asiatic Clam Bluegill Largemouth Bass Red Swamp Crayfish Redear Sunfish Sacramento Sucker Signal Crayfish White Catfish

MEAN MERCURY CONCENTRATIONS in Fish from the Lower Mokelumne River SPECIESMERCURY(ppm)LENGTH(mm) SAMPLE SIZE Asiatic Clam Bluegill Largemouth Bass Sacramento Pikeminnow Sacramento Sucker Signal Crayfish White Catfish

Fish Mercury Project Risk Assessment  Exposure for a “virtual consumer”  Use Hg RfD as a “safe exposure” level Women childbearing age/children Women beyond childbearing age/men  Determine multiple “safe eating” levels for different consumption frequencies  Determine concentrations in fish equal to “safe eating” levels (GTLs) - Draft GTLs for other chemicals  Issue advisory based on measured tissue concentrations in fish

Darell Slotton, UCD

Fish Mercury Project Introduction to Safe Eating Guidelines  Safe eating guidelines more positive  Focus first on benefits  AHA recommendations

AVOID DO NOT EAT MORE THAN THE AMOUNT LISTED BELOW: DO NOT EAT Largemouth, smallmouth or spotted bass; or Sacramento pikeminnow 1 MEAL A MONTH All other fish or crayfish species* Women of childbearing age, pregnant or breastfeeding women, and children 17 years and under: SAFE EATING GUIDELINES FOR FISH CONSUMPTION FROM THE LOWER COSUMNES RIVER *Asiatic clams may be eaten up to 3 meals a week

SAFE EATING GUIDELINES FOR FISH CONSUMPTION FROM THE LOWER COSUMNES RIVER Women beyond childbearing age and men: ENJOY UP TO 2 MEALS A WEEK Bluegill or redear sunfish or Asiatic clams* EAT IN MODERATION NO MORE THAN ONE MEAL A WEEK Crayfish or Sacramento sucker or white catfish AVOID NO MORE THAN ONE MEAL A MONTH Largemouth, smallmouth or spotted bass; or Sacramento pikeminnow *Asiatic clams may be eaten up to 3 times a week

EAT IN MODERATION NO MORE THAN 1 MEAL A WEEK Crayfish* AVOID NO MORE THAN 1 MEAL A MONTH All fish species Women of childbearing age, pregnant or breastfeeding women, and children 17 years and under: SAFE EATING GUIDELINES FOR FISH CONSUMPTION FROM THE LOWER MOKELUMNE RIVER *Asiatic clams may be eaten up to 3 times a week

SAFE EATING GUIDELINES FOR FISH CONSUMPTION FROM THE LOWER MOKELUMNE RIVER Women beyond childbearing age and men: ENJOY UP TO 2 MEALS A WEEK Crayfish or bluegill or Sacramento sucker or white catfish or Asiatic clams* AVOID NO MORE THAN ONE MEAL A MONTH Largemouth, smallmouth or spotted bass; or Sacramento pikeminnow *Asiatic clams may be eaten up to 3 times a week

Fish Mercury Project Follow the Striped Bass Advisory for Delta Water Bodies Women of childbearing age and children 17 years and younger: No more than one meal per month and none over 27 inches Women beyond childbearing age and men: No more than two meals per month and none over 35 inches DELTA STRIPED BASS ADVISORY

Fish Mercury Project General Information Related to Recommendations  Larger fish more contaminated

Fish Mercury Project Commercial Fish Information  Commercial information  AHA-Federal recommendation

Fish Mercury Project Untested Water Bodies

Fish Mercury Project Questions on 2005 Activities?

Fish Mercury Project Plans for 2006  Develop 2006 sampling matrix and draft plan for review - Sacramento River & tributaries & north Delta - Lake Shasta and other northern reservoirs - Striped bass, shad, sturgeon  Develop final detailed plan and collection spreadsheet  Interactive coordination with DFG during sampling  Develop analysis plan, resampling plan, coordinate external organics analyses

Fish Mercury Project Plans for 2006 (cont.)  Advisories for Feather River - San Joaquin River and Delta from Mokelumne River south  Continued coordination with DHS to develop outreach plans & materials  Begin other advisories for Sacramento River and north Delta - Regional salmon* & steelhead* - Hatchery trout* * Require organics results to complete

Fish Mercury Project Plans for 2006 (cont.)  Consider developing format for collection of fishing site, activity and species data for 2007 sampling planning  San Joaquin River tributaries - Calaveras - Stanislaus - Tuolumne - Merced  Southern tributary reservoirs - New Hogan - New Melones & Lake Tulloch - Don Pedro - Lake McSwain & Lake McClure

Fish Mercury Project Plans for 2006 (cont.)  Planning for 2007 sampling (cont.)  Other southern reservoirs - Lake Amador - Woodward Res. - Yosemite Lake - Eastman Lake - Hensley Lake - Modesto Res. - San Luis Res. - O’Neill Forebay  Other water bodies - California Aqueduct

Fish Mercury Project

Fish Mercury Project Comments/Discussion