Gulfwatch – update and requests

Presentation at the GOMC WG Meeting, Halifax, NS,

Recent Gulfwatch talks 2011 WG Mtg., Saint John, Sept. WG and Council, Mtgs., Saint John, Dec WG Mtg., Boston Mar. WG Mtg., Portsmouth NH, Oct WG Mtg., Halifax, Mar. WG and Council Mtgs., Salem, June. WG Mtg., Rye, NH, Oct.

This talk – Dec Summary Gulfwatch – Goal 2! Current Activities – The 3-phase program business plan (last winters 2 reports). – Halifax Meeting, Sept. – Sampling 2013 and archiving Actions and Outcomes Requested – Approval of funding for a US- Canada Gulfwatch mtg. – Continued search for sustained funding. – Formal agreement with DFO on the tissue archives.

The GOMC Action Plan – where Gulfwatch contributes. Goal 2 Environmental and Human Health Outcome 2.1 Environmental Monitoring – Implement Gulfwatch/integrate with other programs. – Facilitate monitoring data sharing and use in management. – Foster communication about monitoring and create partnerships. Outcome 2.2 Environmental Indicators/Reporting – Ecosystem indicators products. – Identify and assess emerging issues. – Communicate about GOM environmental conditions.

The 3-phase Gulfwatch Program Business Plan Steve Jones report (Phase 1) – Analysis of the existing program. – New design and costs (62K). – Partnerships. – Proposed publications. The BRI report (Phases 2,3) – Recommended “emerging chemicals” to monitor. – Other sentinel spp. to consider – Budgetary needs (216K). – Outreach and education. – Workshop.

Steve Jones report (Phase 1) – key details Basic budget - approx. 62K (80K in-kind). Primary output – recommendation for a newly designed program – Fewer sites i.e. stations. – Staggered sampling (11 sites annually, 24 sites rotating). – Inclusion of several new chemicals of emerging concern, from the sites. – Dependence upon the archives. – Enhanced data management.

The BRI report (Phases 2,3) – key details Supports the revised sampling strategy. Add “emerging chemicals” of concern. – Arsenic ( suggest continued measurement of As, Pb and Hg). – Organics – e.g. PFCs, PBDEs, pyrethroid pesticides, PPCPs. Compare data to other programs, e.g., seabird monitoring. Enhance the budget to 216K. Outreach – Facilitate a workshop on chemical contaminants in GOM. – Complete outreach and communication efforts. – Complete a series of publications.

Gulfwatch Meeting, Halifax, Sept ) Sampling Design and Sampling for 2013 a. Review of Steve's report (Business Plan 1) and confirmation of 2013 sampling sites. b. Status of sampling, processing, transport, storage for this year, ) New and Continued Analytes a. Review of David Bucks report (Business Plan 2) and decision on what we will be measuring in the samples from now on, including the 2012 samples. 3) Estimate of budget for the proposed new plan of work. CRITICAL ITEM. Budget to be final by December. 4) Report to GOMC WG Fall 2013 a. Volunteer to prepare a report for and attend the October WG meeting. 5) Other business – a. Papers and reports - need a volunteer to coordinate this. CRITICAL ITEM.

Proposed Gulfwatch Budget 2013 – 19 samples – in thousands of dollars (US) - after discussion Sept 25th Gulfwatch mtg, Halifax. [SHJ estimate was 62K basic cost, and >100K in-kind.] Estimates Adjusted Standard analytes – metals…………………………(5)5 Standard analytes – organics……………………..(10)N/A New analytes – metals/organo-metals…………...(10)10 New analytes – organics (contract)..……………..(15)52 Program coordinator (contract)……………………(10)10 Management/reporting coordinator (contract)……(6)6 Preparation of papers………………………………(N/C)NC Archives - maintenance …………………………….(2)2 Travel to WG/Council meetings…………………….(5)10 Outreach/communication…………………………….(10)10 Tissues from another species (flounder)…………..(-)15 TOTAL…………………………………………………73) 120

Program status - sampling, analysis, archiving, reporting Completed – – Data report on website. – Metal analyses – done on contract; Organic analyses - completed by EC and reports submitted. – Metal analyses done for the 3 NHDES sites, by Battelle. - done ; Other samples – archived at BIO and UNH/JEL and awaiting funding for metals; Organics – completed by EC and reports done (9/13). – Sampling completed across jurisdictions. Metals analyses done for NH samples. NS and NB samples for analysis have been processed and are stored at BIO, awaiting funding.

Update (Oct mtg) and Needs Oct mtg. – presentation/notes by Jack Swartz – Thanks were given to Steve Jones for support of the MA program. – Minutes from the Canadian Gulfwatch meeting were reviewed. Note: recommendations for a new Gulfwatch Program were not supported by the Massachusetts representative to the Council and Marine Fisheries. Council has decided that all future prospective contracted services will be sent to the full Working Group for review prior to hiring. – Working Group – discussed the Gulfwatch budget at length, without resolution, though with thanks to EC for their support. should support funding for a full Canada – US meeting of the Gulfwatch Committee. There has been follow-up with individual Working Group and Council members. – At such a meeting, the full Gulfwatch Committee will review/discuss the two reports of last winter, formulate the direction of the program, and deliver its report to the Working Group and Council.

Gulfwatch Update for Council and WG Mtgs - - Needs – Confirmation of the priority being given to Gulfwatch. – Funding: Travel support for the full Gulfwatch Committee to meet soon, to confirm the path forward – 2K. Metal analyses - Completion of the 2012 samples (?). Two data reports (10-15K). New fact sheet on applications (EC proposal). – Agreements with DFO-BIO Regarding long-term archival storage space at BIO. Technical assistance with processing NB and NS samples each Fall.

Questions and Discussion

Recruitment, collaboration, publications, outreach Proposed US Co-Chair. Continued working with ESIP and NOAA. Recent papers and reports. Talks/outreach.

Action, Outcomes, Decisions requested from this meeting Discuss and approve the 3 part business plan. Continue search for sustained funding. Initiate formal agreement with DFO on the Gulfwatch tissue archives.