Arthur Larsen rakes for cockles on a Wrangell beach April 20 as Southeast Alaska Conservation Council water program director Guy Archibald assists. They and other volunteers participated in a four-beach study for Wrangell Cooperative Association's IGAP office, which sought to measure the presence of metals and organic pollutants in area shellfish.
Test results for shellfish compiled by the local Indian Environmental General Assistance Program (IGAP) office have been released. Working locally in partnership with Wrangell Cooperative Association, IGAP's primary mission is to undertake projects focused on addressing environmental and quality of life problems.
On April 20, IGAP staff and volunteers collected littleneck and butterneck clams, cockles, horse clams and other commonly-consumed shellfish from three beach locations along Zimovia Strait. The project's goal was to assess accumulated contaminants in shellfish commonly collected by residents for consumption.
Contaminants being screened for included diesel and residual-range organics (DRO and RRO), and metals such as arsenic, cadmium, copper, lead and mercury. Being filter feeders, bivalves are good accumulators of such substances, and because they are immobile they are more reliable indicators of local contamination than finfish or crustacean species might be.
The power plant, Institute and Shoemaker Loop South beaches were identified as traditional collection areas and were chosen because of their close proximity to industrial activity and the tug wreckage at the old mill site. A fourth area on the eastern side of the island near Muskeg Meadows Golf Course served as a control test site.
Overall results for all metals tested fell within normal ranges and did not raise any concerns within the data set. No mercury was detected in any samples, though some traces of lead were found in those collected from the power plant and golf course sites.
In its press release, WCA-IGAP stressed this was a screening-level study, rather than attempting to assign a specific risk to eating shellfish from Wrangell beaches. No attempt is being made to assign a specific risk concerning the consumption of shellfish from Wrangell beaches, as such risk includes many factors outside the scope of this study.
IGAP coordinator Chris Hatton explained the data collected at one of the sites will also be useful for the Environmental Protection Agency when it begins cleanup at the Byford Junkyard site nearby at Zimovia Highway's four-mile mark. Last summer the site tested positive for high lead levels, and the federal agency agreed to spearhead cleanup of the site, which the city acquired through foreclosure.
Locally harvested foods are a very important part of a healthy diet in Wrangell, and WCA has been working to monitor these food sources for the benefit of tribal citizens and the wider community. For further information on the test and its results, contact Hatton at the WCA office by calling 874-4304 or messaging igapchris.wca@gmail.com.
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