Great Lakes Funding

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Funding Opportunities - Potentially Related to Great Lakes Priorities

Trends in Great Lakes Fish Contaminants

Introduction:

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA), Great Lakes National Program Office (GLNPO) is requesting proposals for reporting trends in Great Lakes fish contaminants, including analytical chemistry support and scientific input. The project would support the Great Lakes Fish Contaminant Monitoring Program (GLFMP), a program begun in 1980 as a cooperative effort by USEPA, U.S. Food and Drug Administration (no longer participating), U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (now the Biological Resources Division of U.S. Geological Survey), and the eight Great Lakes States, to monitor and better define the fish contaminant problem in the Great Lakes. The GLFMP has, since its inception, served as a model for interagency cooperation and coordination.

Element 1 of this program is directed at monitoring contaminant trends in the open waters of the Great Lakes, and assisting in evaluating the impacts of contaminants on the fishery.

The program provides for collection and analysis of lake trout (walleye in Lake Erie) from each of the Great Lakes. Fish samples are collected in the fall of the year, using fish of similar size to reduce the impact of size variation on contaminant trend data. Whole fish are analyzed.

Element 2 is directed at monitoring potential human exposure to contaminants through consumption of popular sport species, as well as providing trend data for top predator species that have shorter exposures than the lake trout collected in Element 1. The inclusion of coho salmon in this program also provides a snapshot of contaminant concentrations across the Great Lakes in fish of consistent age, complementing the size based data collected in Element 1. Coho and chinook salmon are collected from tributary mouths during the fall spawning run. Rainbow trout are collected from the Ohio and Pennsylvania waters of Lake Erie. Skin-on fillets are analyzed.

Through this Request for Proposals, USEPA expects to issue a cooperative agreement to fund analysis, interpretation and scientific input on data evaluation for elements 1 and 2 of this program for the next two years.

Element 1. USEPA will support analysis of whole fish composites as described below.

Lake	Estimated Number of Composite Samples (1)	Sample Type	Collection Year
Lake Superior	10	Lake trout	1999, 2000
Lake Huron	10	Lake trout	1999, 2000
Lake Michigan	10	Lake trout	1999, 2000
Lake Erie	10	Walleye	1999, 2000
Lake Ontario	10	Lake trout	1999, 2000

Each sample is a composite of 5 whole fish. Element 2. USEPA will support analysis of skin-on fillets as described below.

Lake	Estimated Number of Composite Samples (1)	Sample Type	Collection Year
Lake Superior	6	Chinook salmon	1999
	6	Coho salmon	2000
Lake Huron	6	Chinook salmon	1999
	6	Coho salmon	2000
Lake Michigan	24	Chinook salmon	1999
	24	Coho salmon	2000
Lake Erie	6	Rainbow trout	1999
	3	Coho salmon	2000
Lake Ontario	6	Chinook salmon	1999
	6	Coho salmon	2000

Each sample is a composite of 5 skin-on fillets.

The successful applicant would analyze the above samples for the following parameters utilizing methodologies capable of meeting acceptable detection limits. Proposals must include analytical detection limits to be considered for funding. Proposals should also include ideas and concepts for future implementation of broad GC/MS scans to identify bioaccumulative chemicals that may be emerging issues or problems.

Parameter
PCB (congener specific analysis)	cis nonachlor
hexachlorobenzene	trans nonachlor
pentachlorobenzene	pp DDE
octachlorostryene	pp DDD
lindane	pp DDT
alpha BHC	endrin
aldrin	mirex
dieldrin	8-monohydro mirex
heptachlor epoxide-a	toxaphene (homologs C6-C10)
heptachlor epoxide-b	dacthal
alpha chlordane	pentachlorophenyl methyl ether
trans chlordane	lipids (%)
oxychlordane

Samples collected for Element 1 (approximately 50 samples per year) will be furnished to the laboratory as frozen homogenates of approximately 10 grams. Each sample will be a composite of 5 whole fish. Samples for Element 2 (approximately 50 samples per year) will be furnished to the laboratory as frozen fillet composites. Each composite will be composed of 5 skin-on fillets, and will need to be homogenized into an evenly textured paste before analysis. In addition to the samples described above, the recipient of the award will be required to analyze approximately 10 check samples per year. These are sub-samples of a homogenate of Great Lakes lake trout that are used to ensure data comparability across laboratories and through time. One check sample will be analyzed with each batch of 10 environmental samples. These check samples are treated as environmental samples and are required in addition to spikes, duplicates and other typical Quality Assurance samples. Prior to the receipt or analysis of any environmental samples the award recipient will be required to demonstrate comparability with existing data sets collected under this program. This will be demonstrated through the analysis of a minimum of 10 check samples. These data will be received and evaluated by the EPA Project Officer prior to analysis of actual environmental samples.

Expectations of the Award Recipient:

The recipient of the award will be expected to furnish all data for a given year to the USEPA Project Officer nine months after receiving the fish samples. The raw data, including all Quality Assurance data, will be furnished to the USEPA Project Officer in the format specified by the USEPA GLNPO Reporting Standard for Contaminant Analysis of Fish Tissue. Further details regarding this Reporting Standard are available at www.epa.gov/glnpo/glenda. Data sets will not be considered final until formally accepted in writing by the USEPA Project Officer. The award recipient and USEPA Project Officer will work cooperatively in doing statistical analyses and in completing a final trend report. This report will include the above data, as well as data generated in prior years of this program (these data will be supplied by USEPA). The award recipient’s final report would include recommendations for the future design of the program.

The data and reports will be widely disseminated as government reports, journal articles and postings on the Internet.

Funding Level:

USEPA expects to issue a single award for this project during Fiscal Year 2000. The Project will have a two year project and budget period beginning on the date of award. The maximum amount of funding is expected to be $300,000.00 over the two year period. However, USEPA reserves the right to decrease this amount or to eliminate funding entirely. The term of the agreement may be extended to include samples collected in 2001, 2002 and 2003, depending on agency needs and resources. If such an extension is offered by USEPA, extensions of the Project and Budget Periods, as well as additional funding would be negotiated.

Quality Assurance:

A Quality Assurance Project Plan (QAPP) will be prepared by the recipient of the award. It must be accepted by the USEPA Quality Assurance Officer and the Project Officer prior to analysis of environmental samples. The QAPP must follow the guidelines posted at http://epa.gov/ncer/guidance/qa.html.

Selection Criteria

Proposals received in response to this request will be scored on a 100 point scale as follows

Demonstrated expertise in the analysis of biological media for bioaccumulative chemicals. Expertise does not need to be demonstrated for all of the above parameters. However, proposals submitted without demonstrated expertise in PCB congener analysis and homolog specific toxaphene analysis will not be considered. Expertise may be demonstrated by published papers and reports and/or by successful completion of grants or contracts with other organizations. 65 points.
Demonstrated access to laboratory space, instrumentation, and personnel sufficient to complete the above described work within the prescribed time frame. 20 points
Management structure sufficient for successful project completion 5 points
Total project costs 10 points.

Eligibility

Assistance (through grants, cooperative agreements, and interagency agreements) is available pursuant to Clean Water Act § 104(b)(3) for activities in the Great Lakes Basin and in support of the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement. State pollution control agencies, federal agencies, interstate agencies, other public or nonprofit private agencies, institutions, organizations, and individuals are eligible; "for-profit" organizations are not.

Proposals (2 copies) should be submitted to:

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Great Lakes National Program Office (G-17J)
77 West Jackson Blvd.
Chicago, IL 60604-3590

Proposals are due at the above address by close of business July 16, 1999.

Proposals should not exceed 20 pages in length and will be evaluated against the above criteria.