Table 3.4.5. Ratios of concentrations of measured chemical parameters in fillets 
vs. remains of fish in flatfish collected in Washington for the 2003 FRAM 
groundfish survey. 
Contaminant 
Mean in Fillets 
Mean in Remains 
Mean of Ratios 
Metals (pg/g) 
Inorganic Arsenic 
0.06 
0.07 
0.98 
Cadmium 
0.00 
0.08 
_ 
Chromium 
0.33 
0.48 
0.68 
Copper 
0.27 
0.82 
0.30 
Lead 
0.00 
0.00 
- 
Mercury 
0.06 
0.04 
1.35 
Nickel 
0.00 
0.00 
- 
Selenium 
0.29 
0.29 
0.94 
Silver 
0.00 
0.00 
- 
Organics (ng/g) 
Total PCB 
0.30 
1.21 
0.24 
Total DDT 
0.06 
0.07 
0.98 
Other Pesticides 
0.0 
0.0 
- 
3.5 Status of Benthic Communities 
Macrobenthic infauna (> 1 mm) were sampled at a total of 256 stations 
throughout the study region. A single grab (0.1 m 2 ) was collected at all stations 
except three, at which duplicates were taken, thus resulting in a total of 259 
benthic grabs. The duplicate samples were averaged for the calculation of CDFs 
and other analysis purposes. The resulting data are used here to assess the 
status of benthic community characteristics (taxonomic composition, diversity, 
abundance and dominant species), biogeographic patterns, the incidence of 
nonindigenous species, and potential linkages to ecosystem stressors throughout 
the western U.S. continental shelf from the Strait of Juan de Fuca, WA to the 
Mexican border. Assessments are presented on a region-wide basis, by state 
(WA, Oregon, California), and by NMS vs. non-sanctuary status. The latter 
comparison includes California sanctuaries (Channel Islands NMS, Monterrey 
Bay NMS, Gulf of the Farallones NMS, and Cordell Bank NMS) vs. non¬ 
sanctuary stations in California and stations in the Olympic Coast NMS (OCNMS) 
vs. non-sanctuary stations in Oregon and Washington. Characteristics of the 
shelf benthos are also compared to those of neighbouring estuaries along the 
West Coast, using 1999-2000 data on estuaries from the NCA-West database 
(Nelson et al. 2004, 2005; U.S. EPA 2004, Hayslip et al. 2006). 
79 
