Sandimirov S. Screening studies of POP levels in fish from selected lakes in the Paz watercourse / In State of the environment in the Norwegian, Finnish and Russian border area. The Finnish Environment. Finland, Jyvaskyla: Kopijyva Oy. 2007, №6.

Screening studies o f POPs in fish from the Paz watercourse 7 Conclusions/recommendations • The highest levels of all detected legacy POPs were found in fish from Lake Kuetsjarvi - A tendency of decreasing of POPs with a distance from the smelter was observed. • Petrogenic PAHs were the major contaminants in fish analysed. • Levels of POPs in fish tissues did not exceed known Russian and International food quality criteria. • Increased cytochrome P450 activity was found in fish from the Lake Kuetsjarvi compared to those in fish from less contaminated areas. • Integrated biomarker studies have shown promise as an assessment tool for evaluating the impact of contaminants on fish. • It is recommended that POPs and biomarkers are included in a future monitoring programme for the Paz watercourse. 8 Acknowledgements The authors wish to thank the INTERREG project and the Environmental Committee of Finnmark County for their financial support. Field work and biological measurements of fish were carried out in cooperation with Norwegian College of Fishery Science (NCFS) and Professor Per-Arne Amundsen and colleagues are highly appreciated for the collaboration. Akvaplan-niva report APN 514-3365.02 27