Preface 
This document provides an assessment of the status of ecological condition in 
coastal-ocean waters along the U.S. continental shelf, from the Strait of Juan de Fuca, 
WA to the Mexican border, based on sampling conducted in June 2003. The project 
was a large collaborative effort by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the 
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and West Coast States. It 
also represents one of a series of assessments conducted under the Western regional 
component of EPA’s National Coastal Assessment (NCA-West). The NCA is the 
coastal component of the nationwide Environmental Monitoring and Assessment 
Program (EMAP). The NCA-West program is administered through the EPA and 
implemented through partnerships with a variety of federal and state agencies, 
universities, and the private sector. The 2003 west-coast shelf assessment involved the 
participation and collaboration of EPA, NOAA, Washington Department of Ecology, 
Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, and the Southern California Coastal 
Water Research Project (SCCWRP), with additional contributions from personnel of 
Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation, and Moss Landing Marine 
Laboratories. 
The appropriate citation for this report is: 
W.G. Nelson, J.L. Hyland, H. Lee II, C.L. Cooksey, J.O. Lamberson, F.A. Cole, and P.J. 
Clinton. 2008. Ecological Condition of Coastal Ocean Waters along the U.S. Western 
Continental Shelf: 2003. EPA 620/R-08/001, U.S. EPA, Office of Research and 
Development, National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory, 
Western Ecology Division, Newport OR, 97365; and NOAA Technical Memorandum 
NOS NCCOS 79, NOAA National Ocean Service, Charleston, SC 29412-9110. 137 p. 
Disclaimer 
This document has been subjected to review by the National Health and 
Environmental Effects Research Laboratory of EPA and the National Ocean Service of 
NOAA and approved for publication. Approval does not signify that the contents reflect 
the official views of these agencies, nor does mention of trade names or commercial 
products constitute endorsement or recommendation for use. 
^3'7fc^' L 
