The International Mussel Watch 



Using the local knowledge available, participants at the Costa Rica organizational meeting made 



decisions concerning such issues as: 



location of field sampling sites 



criteria for selecting sample sites 



criteria to select bivalve organisms to sample 



schedule for a field program 



required support by host scientists 



program support of national efforts 



selection of participating national scientists 



It has become apparent to all concerned that close collaboration with national scientists and with 

 existing regional monitoring programs will be essential to the success of the international program. 

 Sampling has been initiated in the South American - Central American - Caribbean region. 

 Following initial contacts as described above, the Field Scientist has begun working with host- 

 country scientists to select sample sites and to sample bivalve organisms from these sites. Frozen 

 tissue samples will be distributed to the Analytical Centers as they are collected. Distribution of 

 samples for analysis and interpretation of analytical results will be coordinated by the Project 

 Secretariat 



Analyses 



The Project Secretariat will maintain contact with all laboratories to ensure the analyses are 

 being carried out on a reasonable time scale and will enter the results to the central data bank as 

 they are received. The Project Secretariat will also support analyses by national laboratories as 

 resources permit by supplying technical information and quality assurance materials. 



Confirmation laboratories will be called upon to interpret anomalous findings and establish 

 quality assurance controls. Analytical Centers will be required to use the same primary standards 

 and will be sent inter-comparison samples routinely throughout the analytical period in a doubly 

 blind way (i.e., the laboratories will not be able to distinguish inter-comparison samples from field 

 samples). 



As only chlorinated hydrocarbons will be analyzed during the Initial Implementation Phase, 

 tissue samples and extracts will be archived for later analysis. We presume that not all collected 

 tissues will be extracted and analyzed within the current budgets. 



Sample Bank 



Splits of the samples from all of the stations will be maintained in a sample bank for future 

 utilization. Long term specimen banking requires dedicated facilities having experienced 



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