Sensitive species collected included the fantail darter, tessellated darter, piedmont darter, whitemouth shiner, and highback chub. The ranges of several species have changed over the study period. This increase was largely due to improvement in water quality. Failing small package WWTPs and untreated discharges have been greatly reduced. However, rapid urban, industrial and residential growth in the county are affecting previously pristine streams, with corresponding decreases in fish populations.
Water chemistry shows similar trends.
One of the original health sectors related to the high levels of mercury in the tuna fish consumed in the Japanese market place. Speciating the various mercury compounds is a difficult task, but is one to which the high selectivity and sensitivity of atomic fluorescence measurement can be effectively applied. The various possible configurations of this instrument will be described in some detail. The performance characteristics of this instrument will be described by reference to the analysis of dogfish muscle, dogfish liver and lobster for total mercury and individual mercury species. In addition, the results obtained for the analysis of sea plant as part of an International Atomic Energy Authority Inter-Laboratory trial will be discussed.