Water Quality for Fisheries:
PFAS and Heavy Metal Contamination in North Carolina Farm Raised and Wild Caught Oyster Populations
Coastal Carolina Riverwatch (CCRW), in collaboration with Dr. Lee Ferguson and Heileen Hsu-Kim at Duke University, have embarked on a crucial mission to address water quality concerns in the White Oak River Basin (WORB). This initiative, funded through the Environmental Enhancement Grant (EEG) program, aims to protect the oyster populations in North Carolina through assessment of the presence and levels of PFAS and heavy metal contamination.
This project is an essential step toward protecting North Carolina’s oyster populations and ensuring the safety of the seafood they provide to the community. Through this project, CCRW seeks to:
- Elevate community voices,
- Educate underserved coastal areas, and
- Advocate for the quality of shellfishing waters.
Oyster contamination and consumption safety are of paramount importance in coastal North Carolina. While seafood consumption advisories exist, current oyster advisories in coastal NC do not include PFAS and heavy metals. It is essential to assess the levels of these contaminants within oysters in the WORB to provide insight into the safest aquaculture areas for oyster producers. The decline in commercial oyster landings and the increase in oyster mortality highlight the urgency of this assessment.
This preliminary research will determine the presence and levels of PFAS and five heavy metals (mercury, lead, copper, zinc, and cadmium) within oyster tissue in both wild-caught and aquaculture environments. These contaminants are targeted due to their known presence in coastal waters and their significant implications for human health.
Current progress:
Oyster, water, and sediment samples were collected at 10 sites across the WORB, some in areas with known PFAS sources and some in areas without a known source. These samples are being processed and analyzed at Duke University. After the project’s completion, the materials and analysis methods developed will be shared through academic publications and hosted on CCRW’s website. The project will also include a survey assessing oyster consumption in the WORB to provide valuable data on oyster consumption risks.
CCRW will also develop an outreach and educational campaign to inform the public about the impact of PFAS and heavy metals on North Carolina’s coastal fisheries and fishing communities. The campaign will provide actionable information on reducing water quality and fisheries’ impacts.
In light of our current research on oysters and PFAS in the WORB, we have put together a brochure that we are sharing with local marinas. We have recently discovered that marina dry stack facilities may be using AFFF (PFAS containing fire fighting foam) in their fire suppression systems. This has obvious concerns around PFAS entering waterways in the case of the system going off or there being a leak.
