Press Release

BALTIMORE, MD (December 13, 2001) – The Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) today issued several new advisories concerning the consumption of 13 species of fish recreationally caught in 14 tidal waterbodies throughout the state. These new ‘consumption advisories’ supercede those previously issued by MDE in 1987 and 1999. (Those advisories applied to channel catfish, American eel, carp and black crappie recreationally caught in the Potomac, Back and Patapsco rivers as well as Lake Roland.)

The fish advisories are geared to protect public health, particularly individuals and their families who regularly consume their catch from Maryland tidal waters where unhealthy levels of fish-borne contaminants have been found. Children, and women who are or may become pregnant, are most susceptible to health risks associated with fish-borne contaminants and should take special note of these advisories. Recent changes in the recommended daily consumption estimates used by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), combined with new sampling data and improved analytical techniques have resulted in today’s advisories.

The advisories do not prohibit the catching or consumption of any fish species or crabs, either recreationally or commercially and are not intended to discourage the taking or eating of fish or game, but should be used as a guide t​o minimize exposure to contaminants. These advisories are not due to increased contamination in the fish.

Oysters, commercially caught fish or crabs, and no fish or crabs caught in the Chesapeake Bay, are not the subject of these advisories. Detailed information on the specific fish species and waterbodies involved are listed in the associated chart and includes an advisory on consumption of Blue Crabs from a portion of the Patapsco River, and a new statewide advisory for all lakes and impoundments for small and largemouth bass, pike, pickerel, and walleye.

Maryland has six categories of consumption advisories ranging from “No consumption,” to up to eight meals per month, to no restriction at all. A meal is considered to be one-half pound (eight ounces) of fish or six ounces of crab meat for the average 150-pound person, with slightly smaller meal sizes for women and children. People who regularly eat fish, children and women who are or may become pregnant are most susceptible to contaminants that can build up in fish over time. These groups should adjust fish consumption patterns accordingly. Women beyond childbearing years and men face fewer health risks from these contaminants, but also may wish to follow the advisories to minimize health risks.

People who eat these fish and shellfish can decrease exposure to fat-associated contaminants by removing the skin and trimming fat during preparation, and cooking by broiling, baking or grilling to allow oils to be separated from the edible flesh. People who consume crabs should refrain from eating the hepatopancreas, also referred to as the green gland, mustard, or “tomalley.” Mercury exposure cannot be reduced during fish preparation or cooking, as it is directly bound to the edible flesh.

The advisories were deemed necessary because of the persistent and accumulative nature of pollutants such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and methylmercury. Even when present in the water in extremely small amounts, some chemicals tend to build up over time in fish tissue because fish can absorb and concentrate contaminants from food they eat, or to a lesser extent, directly from the water. The amount of contaminants that fish accumulate depends on the contaminant in question, as well as the species, size, age, sex, and feeding habits of the fish.

Generally speaking, older larger individual fish accumulate the most contaminants. In addition, catfish, crabs and other bottom feeders with localized home ranges tend to accumulate sediment-associated contaminants such as PCBs, and pesticides, whereas mercury tends to accumulate via the food chain, with the highest mercury levels observed in top-level predators, such as bass and pike.

The Food and Drug Administration sets standards for chemicals in food that is sold commercially, including fish. But, the decision to eat fish that is taken recreationally is not regulated by the government. Instead, the appropriate state government agencies issue advisories. In Maryland, MDE routinely monitors contaminant levels in fish (and shellfish) and issues advisories when contaminant levels exceed recommended federal guidelines. These advisories are issued by MDE, in consultation with the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, and the Maryland Department of Agriculture.

Fish are a still good source of healthy, readily digestible protein and should be part of a healthy diet. They are low in fat and sodium, and the unique type of fats found in fish is believed to provide cardiovascular benefits. More information on the fish consumption advisories can be found on the MDE website at www.mde.state.md.us or by calling MDE at (800) 633-6101, extension 3906.

###​

Headings

All HTML headings, <h1> through <h6> are available.

h1. Heading 1

h2. Heading 2

h3. Heading 3

h4. Heading 4

h5. Heading 5
h6. Heading 6

Body copy

Bootstrap's global default font-size is 14px, with a line-height of 20px. This is applied to the <body> and all paragraphs. In addition, <p> (paragraphs) receive a bottom margin of half their line-height (10px by default).

Nullam quis risus eget urna mollis ornare vel eu leo. Cum sociis natoque penatibus et magnis dis parturient montes, nascetur ridiculus mus. Nullam id dolor id nibh ultricies vehicula.

Cum sociis natoque penatibus et magnis dis parturient montes, nascetur ridiculus mus. Donec ullamcorper nulla non metus auctor fringilla. Duis mollis, est non commodo luctus, nisi erat porttitor ligula, eget lacinia odio sem nec elit. Donec ullamcorper nulla non metus auctor fringilla.

Maecenas sed diam eget risus varius blandit sit amet non magna. Donec id elit non mi porta gravida at eget metus. Duis mollis, est non commodo luctus, nisi erat porttitor ligula, eget lacinia odio sem nec elit.

<p>...</p>

Lead body copy

Make a paragraph stand out by adding .lead.

Vivamus sagittis lacus vel augue laoreet rutrum faucibus dolor auctor. Duis mollis, est non commodo luctus.

<p class="lead">...</p>

Built with Less

The typographic scale is based on two LESS variables in variables.less: @baseFontSize and @baseLineHeight. The first is the base font-size used throughout and the second is the base line-height. We use those variables and some simple math to create the margins, paddings, and line-heights of all our type and more. Customize them and Bootstrap adapts.


Emphasis

Make use of HTML's default emphasis tags with lightweight styles.

<small>

For de-emphasizing inline or blocks of text, use the small tag.

This line of text is meant to be treated as fine print.

<p>
  <small>This line of text is meant to be treated as fine print.</small>
</p>

Bold

For emphasizing a snippet of text with a heavier font-weight.

The following snippet of text is rendered as bold text.

<strong>rendered as bold text</strong>

Italics

For emphasizing a snippet of text with italics.

The following snippet of text is rendered as italicized text.

<em>rendered as italicized text</em>

Heads up! Feel free to use <b> and <i> in HTML5. <b> is meant to highlight words or phrases without conveying additional importance while <i> is mostly for voice, technical terms, etc.

Alignment classes

Easily realign text to components with text alignment classes.

Left aligned text.

Center aligned text.

Right aligned text.

<p class="text-left">Left aligned text.</p>
<p class="text-center">Center aligned text.</p>
<p class="text-right">Right aligned text.</p>

Emphasis classes

Convey meaning through color with a handful of emphasis utility classes.

Fusce dapibus, tellus ac cursus commodo, tortor mauris nibh.

Etiam porta sem malesuada magna mollis euismod.

Donec ullamcorper nulla non metus auctor fringilla.

Aenean eu leo quam. Pellentesque ornare sem lacinia quam venenatis.

Duis mollis, est non commodo luctus, nisi erat porttitor ligula.

<p class="muted">Fusce dapibus, tellus ac cursus commodo, tortor mauris nibh.</p>
<p class="text-warning">Etiam porta sem malesuada magna mollis euismod.</p>
<p class="text-error">Donec ullamcorper nulla non metus auctor fringilla.</p>
<p class="text-info">Aenean eu leo quam. Pellentesque ornare sem lacinia quam venenatis.</p>
<p class="text-success">Duis mollis, est non commodo luctus, nisi erat porttitor ligula.</p>

Abbreviations

Stylized implementation of HTML's <abbr> element for abbreviations and acronyms to show the expanded version on hover. Abbreviations with a title attribute have a light dotted bottom border and a help cursor on hover, providing additional context on hover.

<abbr>

For expanded text on long hover of an abbreviation, include the title attribute.

An abbreviation of the word attribute is attr.

<abbr title="attribute">attr</abbr>

<abbr class="initialism">

Add .initialism to an abbreviation for a slightly smaller font-size.

HTML is the best thing since sliced bread.

<abbr title="HyperText Markup Language" class="initialism">HTML</abbr>

Addresses

Present contact information for the nearest ancestor or the entire body of work.

<address>

Preserve formatting by ending all lines with <br>.

Twitter, Inc.
795 Folsom Ave, Suite 600
San Francisco, CA 94107
P: (123) 456-7890
Full Name
first.last@example.com
<address>
  <strong>Twitter, Inc.</strong><br>
  795 Folsom Ave, Suite 600<br>
  San Francisco, CA 94107<br>
  <abbr title="Phone">P:</abbr> (123) 456-7890
</address>
<address>
  <strong>Full Name</strong><br>
  <a href="mailto:#">first.last@example.com</a>
</address>

Blockquotes

For quoting blocks of content from another source within your document.

Default blockquote

Wrap <blockquote> around any HTML as the quote. For straight quotes we recommend a <p>.

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Integer posuere erat a ante.

<blockquote>
  <p>Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Integer posuere erat a ante.</p>
</blockquote>

Blockquote options

Style and content changes for simple variations on a standard blockquote.

Naming a source

Add <small> tag for identifying the source. Wrap the name of the source work in <cite>.

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Integer posuere erat a ante.

Someone famous in Source Title
<blockquote>
  <p>Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Integer posuere erat a ante.</p>
  <small>Someone famous <cite title="Source Title">Source Title</cite></small>
</blockquote>

Alternate displays

Use .pull-right for a floated, right-aligned blockquote.

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Integer posuere erat a ante.

Someone famous in Source Title
<blockquote class="pull-right">
  ...
</blockquote>