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NEW JERSEY AND
DELAWARE ISSUE FISH CONSUMPTION ADVISORIES TO ASSIST THE PUBLIC
IN BOTH STATES
USSFN: 3/7/04 -
The Department of Environmental Protection (DEP)
and the Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) today
issued revised fish consumption advisories
for waters of the Delaware Estuary which include the Delaware
River downstream of the Pennsylvania border and Delaware Bay -
waters shared by both states.
"The waters of the Delaware Bay and estuary
provide excellent opportunities for recreational fishing and
enjoyment," said DEP Commissioner Bradley M. Campbell.
"Different and sometimes conflicting advisories used in shared
waters often confuse the public. Providing a common message to
the fishing public in both states will help people make informed
choices about the fish they eat."
The consistent advisories result from
meetings between the states, as well as data collection and
agreement on technical issues. The advisories recommend limiting
consumption of certain fish by the general population. However,
both states recommend that high-risk consumers (women of
childbearing age and children) not consume any of these fish
from these waters.
"The nutritional and health benefits of
eating fish are well established, and these advisories can help
people make better choices of the fish to consume," said Health
and Senior Services Commissioner Clifton R. Lacy, M.D. "These
shared advisories will help the public make informed decisions
concerning consumption of recreational fish, as well as help
reduce exposure to contaminants."
"This cooperative effort underscores both
Delaware and New Jersey's commitment to inform and protect
public health while continuing to encourage the public to enjoy
the tremendous recreational opportunities that the Delaware
Estuary offers," said Delaware Department of Natural Resources
and Environmental Control Secretary John A. Hughes. Added
Hughes, "Our ultimate goal is to clean up these waters so that
we no longer need fish consumption advisories."
Tom Fote of the Jersey Coast Anglers
Association added "This is great news for recreational anglers,
one message to those fishing and enjoying the resources of the
Delaware Estuary. One common message in shared waters is a more
effective strategy to inform the public."
There are numerous benefits for establishing
consistent advisories in New Jersey's shared waters, especially
for a large water body such as Delaware Bay. These include a
more effective and concise public message, coordinated state
outreach efforts, increased public comprehension, and most
importantly increased protection of public health from the
bioaccumulative contaminants found in elevated levels in some
local fish species.
Consumption advisories are being issued for
the Delaware River from the Pennsylvania border near Marcus Hook
to the Chesapeake & Delaware (C&D) Canal, and from the C&D Canal
to the mouth of the Delaware Bay. Advisories for the Delaware
River above the C&D Canal remain the same for both states and
recommend that the public not eat any finfish from this area.
Advisories for the section downstream of the C&D Canal including
the entire Delaware Bay include striped bass, bluefish, white
perch, American eel, channel catfish and white catfish. The
advisory is to eat no more than one meal per year of these fish
including small bluefish. For large bluefish (larger than 6 lbs.
or 24 inches) the advisory is "do not eat". Women of
childbearing age and children should not consume any of these
fish from these waters.
Establishing consistent advisories in shared
waters is also a key goal of the Delaware Estuary Program's
Management Plan. In December 2003, the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency established an environmental plan to reduce
polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) released along an 85-mile
segment of the Delaware River from Trenton downstream to the
head of the Delaware Bay, near Liston Point, Delaware.
The advisories are based on contaminants
found in fish including polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs),
mercury, chlorinated pesticides and dioxin. Long-term exposure
to PCBs has been shown to cause a number of serious health
effects, including impacts on the nervous system of developing
fetuses, the immune system and the reproductive system. PCBs are
also considered a probable human carcinogen.
Above certain levels, mercury can damage the
nervous system, particularly in unborn and young children,
resulting in learning and developmental delays. Dioxin produces
a number of effects in animal testing, including suppression of
the immune system, impaired reproduction, birth defects in some
species tested, a skin condition called chloracne, alterations
in liver function, and cancer.
The best way to reduce exposure to
contaminants in fish is to learn what fish species are affected
and either limit or avoid consumption. However, if you choose to
eat those species under advisories, there are steps you can take
to reduce your exposure. Contaminants tend to concentrate in the
fatty tissue of the fish you catch. Proper cleaning and cooking
techniques, which remove some of the fat from the fish, can
significantly reduce levels of PCBs, dioxins and other organic
chemicals. Please note, however, that these techniques will not
reduce or remove unsafe levels of mercury from these fish.
Delaware and New Jersey plan to continue
coordination, communication and data sharing to ensure
consistent advice is available to the public. The DEP and the
DHSS through the interagency Toxics in Biota Committee continue
to work with other adjacent states to develop messages for the
public and to establish advisory consistency for affected fish
in shared waters.
In addition to the updated Delaware Estuary
fish consumption advisories, the DEP last year issued revised
PCB advisories, and in 2002 issued advisories warning people
about unsafe mercury levels found in 21 species of freshwater
fish from water bodies around the state.
Copies of the advisories that provide
consumption recommendations for fish in particular regions and
waterways throughout the state are available on the DEP website.
Delaware's advisories are available on the
DNREC website.
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