EPA's National Fish Program

Appendix B

Sample Transmittal Email Requesting Fish Advisory Information and Fish Tissue Data on a Voluntary Basis

You are receiving this email because you have been previously identified as the Fish Advisory Program Coordinator for your State, Territory or Tribe. Please notify me if you have received this email in error by replying to this message.

The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) plans to update the national fish advisory and fish tissue data databases with new, revised and rescinded advisories issued by jurisdictions in the past three years, together with the fish tissue data that served as the basis for such advisories or other fish tissue data collected in your jurisdiction. We are asking for your support to help ensure the accuracy and completeness of your state, territory and tribal information/data in the national databases.

Please note this information/data collection request is authorized under the U.S. Office of Management and Budget Information Collection Request 2040-0226. The annual public reporting and record keeping burden for this voluntary collection of information is estimated to average 1.5 labor hours per respondent. Burden is defined as the total time, effort, or financial resources expended by persons to generate, maintain, retain, or disclose or provide information to or for a federal agency.

EPA is interested in active and rescinded advisories issued and the analytical results for all fist tissue analysis conducted (even if it was not used to issue an advisory) in the past three years. This information will allow us to evaluate the combined extent of monitoring and assessment efforts on a national basis. EPA will analyze the collected information to determine what science, guidance, technical assistance, and nationwide information are needed to help state and tribes have equitable and effective fish advisory programs. In addition, EPA will also use the information provided to facilitate information sharing and to ensure guidance documents are useful and technically accurate.

For the fish advisory updates, we are asking that you provide the following:

• Waterbodies assessed with locational data

• Advisory information

• Species-specific information

• Population affected by the fish advisory

• Contaminant causing the advisory

The list of the key parameters we are requesting for the fish tissue data are:

• Waterbody name

• Locational information

• Contaminant information

• Fish species and length

• Composite or individual sampling information

• Sample information (e.g., date, sample ID, fillet, whole, plug)

• Method detection limits for the contaminant

Two templates, one for fish advisory information and the other for fish tissue data, are attached. Both templates include examples and additional descriptive tabs for various fields in the templates. Although you have the flexibility to provide the information/data in any format (except PDF), EPA requests (not requires) using the Excel worksheet to submit your data because this will facilitate an easier transfer of the data to the databases. When using other formats we ask that you include the requested parameters. States also have the option of submitting their tissue data directly to the Water Quality Exchange using the WQX web biological template.

We would like to receive your data by [insert date]. All files should be submitted to [TBD] by email or via their file exchange server at [TBD]. If you have any questions regarding this request or the National Fish Advisory Program, please contact me by replying to this email or at 202-566-2083.

Once again, we greatly appreciate your assistance and thank you for your continued support of USEPA's National Fish Program.

Samantha Fontenelle

National Program Manager

National Fish and Wildlife Contamination Program

Office of Science and Technology

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

[email protected]

Phone: 202-566-2083