 Organic contaminants were found at every site.“The histopathology component of the Mussel Watch Program, quantifies the stage of gamete development, and the prevalence of nearly 70 diseases and parasites found in mussels and oysters.Trends in histopathology data may help to assess the effects of global warming.”

In 1986 the Mussel Watch Program only sampled 145 sites, but as of 2008 that amount has grown to approximately 300 active monitoring sites in the continental U.S., Alaska, Puerto Rico and Hawaii.