Joint Assessment and Monitoring Programme (JAMP). National Comments regarding the Norwegian Data for 2004

Summary

This report is part of the Norwegian contribution to the SIME 2006 meeting administrated by OSPAR. JAMP 2004 included the monitoring of contaminants in sediment (17 stations), blue mussel (58), dogwhelk (20), cod (9) and flatfish (11) along the coast of Norway from Oslo to Bergen, Lofoten and Varangerfjord. The results indicated elevated levels of contaminants, i.e., poorer than Class I in SFT's classification system, or over provisional “high background”, in the inner Oslofjord (PCBs, mercury and lead in cod; PCBs in mussels), and Sørfjord and Hardangerfjord (cadmium, lead, mercury and DDT (ppDDE) in mussels, and mercury in cod). The results from the remaining stations showed low or moderate levels of contamination in 2004. Considering the whole monitoring period, significant upward trends were found for mercury in cod from the inner Oslofjord and a downward trend was found for lead in mussels from Sørfjord/Hardangerfjord. The “Pollution" index was between “marked” and “severe,” as it was in 2003, in the SFT system. The “Reference” index was between “slight” and “moderate” in the system, as before. Contamination of organotin in mussels and imposex in dogwhelk were still apparent. No significant improvement was registered in comparison to 1992 investigations. The results from studies using biological effects methods in cod (4 stations) are discussed.