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  • Title

    Bioaccumulation Monitoring Program

    Lead San Francisco Estuary Institute [SFEI]
    Description The Bioaccumulation Oversight Group (BOG) is a subcommittee of the SWAMP Roundtable that provides oversight of SWAMP's statewide bioaccumulation monitoring program. The BOG is also a workgroup of the California Water Quality Monitoring Council, and in this role manages the Safe to Eat Portal and is a forum for coordination of bioaccumulation monitoring in California. The mission of the BOG is to assess the impacts of contaminants in fish and shellfish on beneficial uses in California water bodies through statewide monitoring under SWAMP and perform syntheses of information from other studies, and to develop an internet portal that presents this information to decision-makers and the public in a form that they can easily use. See the Workgroup Charter for more information.
    Science topics Fishing, Main channels, Sloughs, Backwater, Chinook Salmon, Steelhead Trout, Pelagic fish, Striped bass
    Updated April 29, 2022
  • Title

    Bioassessment Program

    Lead California Department of Fish and Wildlife [CDFW]
    Description Biological assessment (bioassessment) is an evaluation of the condition of a waterbody based on the organisms living within it. It involves surveying the types and numbers of organisms present in the water and comparing the results to established benchmarks of biological health. Scientists and managers around the world use this approach to directly and quantitatively measure the ecological health of a waterbody and to monitor the cumulative impacts of environmental stressors on surface waters. Benthic macroinvertebrates (BMIs) and benthic algae are the primary biota used for bioassessments in California. BMIs are a diverse group of small but visible animals that live at the bottom of rivers and streams. They are comprised mostly of aquatic insects but also include crustaceans, mollusks, and worms. BMI assemblages are found in most waterbodies and are reliable indicators of biological health because they are relatively stationary and respond predictably to a variety of environmental stressors. Benthic algae are also sensitive to environmental stressors and provide environmental condition information that is often complementary to that derived from BMI assemblages. Because of their short lifespans and rapid reproduction rate, algae can respond quickly to changing water conditions. They are also more directly responsive to nutrients (such as nitrogen and phosphorus) and are therefore suited for monitoring nutrient runoff, one of the major environmental stressors in California. SWAMP began conducting bioassessment in 2000. The program continues to work closely with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife's (CDFW) Aquatic Bioassessment Laboratory, which has been the primary producer of this technical work.
    Science topics Salinity, Water temperature, Main channels, Insects, Mollusks, Crustaceans, Conductivity, Other species, Invertebrates
    Updated April 29, 2022