POTSDAM -- Researchers from Clarkson University, SUNY Fredonia and SUNY Oswego are to receive $6.5 million from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to continue help monitoring Great Lakes fish.

The EPA awarded this same partnership team $1.75 million in 2006 to provide chemical analysis of Great Lakes fish tissue. The funding is part of the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative.

The new funding is for analysis of contaminants to assess trends in organic compounds and mercury in open waters of the Great Lakes, using fish as biomonitors. During the next five years, researchers will obtain additional analytical instruments to help identify current and emerging contaminants, such as flame retardants. With these additional capabilities, Clarkson says, the Great Lakes Fish Monitoring and Surveillance Program will be transformed into a world leader in the science of contaminant cycling in aquatic ecosystem.

Trends in bioaccumulative chemicals in the Great Lakes, using top predator fish as biomonitors, will help screen for new compounds of concern entering the Great Lakes eco-systems and assess the ecological health of the lakes. This study will improve the understanding of pollutant impacts on the fishery and efforts to remediate and reduce pollutant sources. The study is planned to commence immediately and last for five years.