15 



Senator Hollings. Who follows up on that ? Do you give that over 

 to EPA? 



Dr. Aeon. I believe that is an EPA function, sir, and FDA. 



Dr. White. It is a cooperative activity. Of course, FDA has the 

 responsibility for setting the levels of contaminants as a function of 

 human health. 



Senator Hollings. Who goes back to the actual source ? 



Dr. White. I think the information we would generate concerning 

 pollution in fish is communicated to the EPA and to the FDA. They 

 have responsibilities under the law. EPA has responsibilities to set 

 regulations for the discharge of pollutants. 



FDA has a job to ascertain whether the levels we find are a danger 

 to human health and decide what should be done. 



Senator Hollixgs. Has anything been done in that area where Sen- 

 ator Stevens and others held hearings there? What resulted from 

 those hearings ? 



Dr. White. All that we have done, Mr. Chairman, is to make sur- 

 veys of the mercury content in the halibut as a fimction of the location 

 of the halibut and their size. In the case of mercury, of course, FDA 

 does have its guidelines. 



With this information, we have been able to work with the industry 

 such that they now take fish only as prescribed and in accordance with 

 the findings that we have made about the location of mercury in the 

 fish. 



Senator Hollings. I am talking about the industries that are 

 causing the mercury contamination. What have you done with that 

 industry ? 



Dr. White. I don't know what has happened in that particular 

 case, Mr. Chairman. 



Dr. Aron. I don't believe in the case of Alaska there was an indus- 

 trial effluent problem. If you look at the distribution of mercury in the 

 halibut, the amount of mercury actually increases as you go south in 

 terms of the fishery. Now, we don't really understand 



Senator Hollings. I thought down around Seattle and all it was 

 clear, but right in the area there it was concentrated, and the Canadian 

 fishermen found it the same way. That was my memory from those 

 hearings. 



Dr. Aron. If we could report on this for the record, we would be 

 glad to. 



Senator Hollings. We will leave the record open, and I will appre- 

 ciate any finding that you made, or any action that has been taken. 



[The following information was subsequently received for the 

 record :] 



DlSTEIBtTTION OF MERCURY IN PACIFIC HALIBUT 



NMFS has conducted a detailed analysis of the merciiry content of halibiit 

 in relation to size of fish and location of catch. Samples of edible flesh were 

 analyzed from over 1200 fish or various weight classes that were caught in areas 

 from the Bering Sea to off the coast of Oregon. The study showed that mercury 

 content increased progressively in halibut caught in more southerly latitudes. 

 For example, less than 5 percent of the halibut caught in the Bering Sea con- 

 tained more than 0.5 ppm of mercury whereas 38 percent of those caught off 

 Washington and Oregon exceeded 0.5 ppm mercury. The study also showed 

 that mercury content increased progressively as fish size increased. For ex- 

 ample, in the Gulf of Alaska, fish in the to 60 pound weight class had an 

 average mercury content of 0.1 ppm with only one out of 377 samples exceeding 



