as is the recognition of a present environmental problem and the research 

 findings on its effects. 



At the Columbia National Fisheries Research Laboratory (CNFRL), we 

 believe it is important to consider the effects of known contaminants and to 

 identify new contaminants, as well as to predict and evaluate possible future 

 contaminants. If no effort is made to initiate and develop an anticipatory 

 approach, research efforts will always be in a reactive posture. However, 

 anticipatory research and reactive research are not mutually exclusive; they 

 must go on concurrently and interactively. 



In general, we view anticipatory research on contaminants as a mixture 

 of analytical chemistry, toxicology, biological evaluation, and communication. 

 Sophisticated analytical techniques are important for the detection and iden- 

 tification of existing, but unrecognized contaminants. In addition, they 

 should undergo some preliminary toxicological evaluation. Laboratory toxico- 

 logic assessments of contaminant effects on aquatic organisms under simulated 

 conditions (e.g., use or exposure pattern, appropriate species, temperature, 

 water type) are important for projections of potential effects on fisheries. 

 As previously unknown contaminants are detected and identified in aquatic eco- 

 systems, they should be surveyed to estimate the degree, source, and extent 

 of contamination. Communication is essential to link current research with 

 information sources in assessing new inputs of potential contaminants to vari- 

 ous ecosystems and for disseminating research findings to resource managers 

 and other decisionmakers. Beyond this point it is extremely difficult to pre- 

 dict the most effective courses of research action. However, field ecological 

 approaches ranging from small, local studies to large, system investigations 

 might be appropriate and could probably be linked with monitoring efforts or 

 other analytical or biological surveys. Objectives of such studies likewise 

 cover a broad range, including discovery, documentation or correlation of 

 contaminant effects on aquatic populations; distribution of the contaminant; 

 and investigation of its dynamics in the ecosystem. 



For better known contaminants, primary efforts are probably best direct- 

 ed toward field investigations that can then be supported by interdisciplin- 

 ary laboratory investigations to assist in interpretation of field data. 

 Assessments of fishery stocks and various forage bases are important elements 

 to be maintained on a continuing basis. Such assessments are a form of bio- 

 monitoring to estimate trends in the general condition of the fishery. 



BIOLOGICAL INDICATORS OF CONTAMINANT STRESS 



At CNFRL we are necessarily placing increasing emphasis on the use of 

 biological and biochemical techniques as indicators of health and the well- 

 being of aquatic populations and habitat. Shifting our attention to the re- 

 source as the focal point to determine the likelihood and extent of a con- 

 taminant perturbance relieves us of total dependence on the analytical chem- 

 istry approach. With even the most advanced analytical technology, only a 

 small fraction of the chemicals known to exist in the environment can be 



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