The International Mussel Watch 



We expect that this program will benefit from, and integrate with, existing national and 

 regional efforts. In addition, we expect that the program will provide a basis for additional national 

 and regional activities concerned with pollution of coastal areas. 



An added benefit will be dissemination to the world community of the result of a 

 collaborative experience with reference to: sampling, sample storage, chemical analysis, quality 

 assurance procedures; and data interpretation strategies emanating from this program. 



The International Mussel Watch Program Plan 



The International Mussel Watch Program will ascertain whether the increasing use of 

 chlorinated pesticides and polychlorinated biphenyls, in the developing world and primarily in the 

 tropics and in the southern hemisphere, is resulting in concentrations in coastal marine waters that 

 could jeopardize the health of organisms as happened in the northern hemisphere in the 1960's and 

 1970's. For the entire sampling period, during the 1990's, bivalves, primarily mussels and 

 oysters, will be collected from the coastal waters of about one hundred countries both in the 

 northern and southern hemispheres. These materials will be analyzed at selected international 

 laboratories as well as in some of the countries where the samples are collected. Sampling during 

 the Initial Implementation Phase will be restricted to approximately 80 sites in the South America, 

 Central America and the Caribbean region (see map, p. 6). 



Selection of sampling locations includes contaminated (industrial, urban or agriculture run- 

 off) and non-contaminated (pristine) sites, and covering estuarine and open coastline parts of the 

 sub-littoral zone. One site covers a linear distance of about 200 meters; the identification of sites 

 using these criteria should be made by local scientists familiar with the area in concert with a 

 representative of the International Mussel Watch Committee. 



We estimate that about 1000 samples (replicates from 330 sites) will be taken and selected 

 subsamples analyzed for a variety of chlorinated pesticides and chlorinated biphenyls: 



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