Hudson River Trustees Begin Sturgeon Toxicity Study for the Hudson River

The Hudson River Natural Resource Trustees have released a fact sheet for a fish toxicity pilot study being conducted as part of the Hudson River Natural Resource Damage Assessment (NRDA). The Hudson River Natural Resource Trustees - NOAA, New York State, and the U.S. Department of the Interior - are working cooperatively to conduct the NRDA.

The fact sheet provides information on a pilot study examining the effects of PCBs on early life stages of two fish species - Atlantic sturgeon and Federally endangered shortnose sturgeon. The objective of the pilot study is to determine if early life-stages of these two fish species are sensitive to the toxic effects of PCBs. Depending on the results of this pilot study, the Trustees may conduct additional field investigations and/or laboratory studies to further evaluate the effects of PCBs on Hudson River fish.

Lower Duwamish River Draft Restoration Plan and Programmatic EIS out for public comment

On May 29th, NOAA, along with natural resource co-trustees the U.S. Department of the Interior, Washington State Department of Ecology, Suquamish Tribe, and Muckleshoot Indian Tribe, released the Draft Restoration Plan and Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (RP/PEIS) for the Lower Duwamish River. The public is invited to comment for 60 days. Large quantities of hazardous substances have contaminated extensive areas of the Lower Duwamish River, a mixed industrial and residential area of Seattle, Washington that includes three Superfund sites. The Draft RP/PEIS presents the types of restoration projects desired and outlines priority areas for restoration in order to recover natural resources lost or injured by the contaminants. Comments on the Draft RP/PEIS will be accepted until July 28, 2009.

For more information, contact Rebecca Hoff at DuwamishPEIS.DARRP@noaa.gov or 206.526.6276.