What progress has been made in the contaminants component of the MMHSRP?
The contaminants component of the MMHSRP includes a biomonitoring, research, methods development, archival and quality assurance. The program has developed new methodologies to screen tissues for pollutants and has evaluated tissue residue levels in over 669 animals to establish baselines and evaluate trends in pollution exposures. Research has focused on projects evaluating pollutant effects on marine mammals, understanding pollutant exposure pathways through the food chain, understanding the kinetics of pollutants in marine mammal tissues, and evaluating stock differences in marine mammal species. Recent projects have included the evaluation of immune function in Northern fur seals in relation to pollutant levels, the correlation of tumors in California sea lions with pollutant levels, stock differentiation in Alaskan belugas based on pollutant types, and differentiation on feeding strategy and pollutant levels in killer whales.
