Specimen Banking in the National Status and Trends Program: Development of Protocols and First Year Results

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has initiated a Specimen Bank for estuarine and coastal samples, as part of its National Status and Trends Program. During the first year, sample collection protocols were developed for the collection of benthic fish, bivalve molluscs, and associated sediments. Specimens, from over 40 sites nationwide, have now been submitted for inclusion in the Specimen Bank which is housed at the National Bureau of Standards in Gaithersburg, Maryland. Specimens are preserved at liquid nitrogen temperature with degradation expected to be minimal for decades. Retrospective analysis of specimens will allow the opportunity to derive baseline values for new environmental contaminants and make historical marine samples available for analysis when new and improved analytical procedures become available. Preliminary analyses of selected samples collected during the first year are presently under way for organic and trace element contaminants.