|
Click on photo to view larger image
|
The Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE), in coordination with other Eastern Atlantic Coast states, recently issued fish consumption advisories for striped bass and bluefish caught through recreational fishing in Atlantic coastal waters. To protect the public from exposure to contaminants that accumulate in fish, MDE issues fish consumption advisories for recreationally caught fish taken from lakes, non-tidal, and tidal water bodies, the Chesapeake Bay, and the Atlantic Ocean.
In general fish are a great source of nutrients. However, some types of fish, especially those residing and feeding in or near contaminated areas, tend to accumulate pollutants that, when consumed in large quantities, can be harmful to humans. MDE evaluates levels in popular Maryland recreational fish for contaminants such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs – a banned substance classified as a neurotoxin and a probable human carcinogen) and methylmercury (a known neurotoxin) and, based on these results, issues site specific and statewide fish consumption advisories.
In order to develop a consistent advisory for recreationally caught migratory striped bass and bluefish, experts from Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Rhode Island, South Carolina, and Virginia formed the Eastern Coastal Striped Bass and Bluefish Consumption Advisory Workgroup. After evaluating various approaches used by states and by reviewing relevant PCB data, the Workgroup recommended a coastal advisory for larger, older, migratory striped bass and bluefish. As a result, coastal states including Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Rhode Island adopted these advisories. MDE will continue to evaluate and publish advisories for striped bass collected from the Bay, its tributaries, and Atlantic coastal waters. In the fall of 2008, MDE collected bluefish from the Bay for the first time. In 2009 MDE will again collect bluefish from the Bay and will publish an advisory, based on that data, in 2010.
MDE has a significant amount of data for resident and migratory striped bass caught in the Chesapeake Bay and tributaries and, since 2004, has been issuing advisories. The following recommendations are currently in effect for striped bass caught in the Bay and its tributaries:
|
Chesapeake Bay and Tributaries |
| |
|
General Population
(8 oz meals/yr) |
Women*
(6 oz meals/yr> |
Children**
( 3 oz meals/yr) |
Contaminant |
| Striped bass |
<28” May 16 – December 15 |
25 |
19 |
15 |
PCBs – risk driver & Methylmercury – low levels
|
| >28” April 15 – May 15 |
9 |
6 |
Avoid |
* Women – women who are pregnant or may become pregnant, or are
nursing
** Children – all young children up to age 6
Advisories for fishes caught in all water bodies including the Bay are continually updated and additional revisions are scheduled to occur later this summer.
The following recommendations for recreationally caught striped bass and bluefish from Maryland’s Atlantic coastal waters are now in place:
-
Sensitive populations: Pregnant and nursing women, women who may become pregnant, and children should avoid consumption of bluefish and striped bass caught in coastal waters.
-
General population: Consumption of striped bass should be limited to one 8-ounce meal per month. Consumption of bluefish should be limited to one 8-ounce meal every other month.
If you’re going fishing, MDE recommends checking out the lastest fish consumption advisories. Click here.
For more information about other state’s fish consumption advisories and national fish consumption advisories click here.
|
