The International Joint Commission (IJC), an organization addressing boundary water issues between Canada and the U.S., has released its 16th Biennial Report on Great Lakes Water Quality, which includes a brief summary report based on NCCOS Mussel Watch Program (MWP) data. The IJC has chosen mussels as one of seven indicators of chemical integrity when assessing the health of the Great Lakes. The MWP has been monitoring a wide array of contaminants in fresh water mussel tissue since 1992, and has approximately 25 long-term sites in near shore areas across the lakes. Of the nearly 150 contaminants measured, the status and trends of 6 metals and 5 organic compounds weresummarized in this report. The IJC also recommendsthe addition of more offshoremonitoring sites. For more information conatct: Ed. Johnson@noaa.gov or Kimani.Kimbrough@naa.gov