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Rock, bluefish warning issued
State issues PCB advisory
Friday, June 5, 2009
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Maryland environmental officials are warning folks to stop eating or drastically reduce their intake of rockfish — striped bass — and bluefish that are caught in local waterways because of high levels of a banned chemical that is known to cause cancer.
The Maryland Department of the Environment issued a fish consumption advisory regarding rockfish and bluefish because of high levels of polychlorinated biphenyls — commonly known as PCBs — found in those fish caught in Atlantic coastal waters, according to a 2008 report by the seven-state Eastern Coastal Striped Bass and Bluefish Consumption Advisory Work Group.
The waterways include the Potomac, Patuxent and Wicomico rivers and Mattawoman Creek in western Charles County.
Local fisherman Warren Willett of White Plains said he has been fishing in the Potomac River all his life. The advisory does cause some concern but Willett said he will probably still enjoy a meal of striped bass once in awhile.
"I'll probably still eat it but not as much," he said. "I've been eating rockfish for 35 to 40 years. Now they're saying that we shouldn't eat it at all."
Robert Shymanksy, owner of Shymansky's Marina and Seafood on Cobb Island, said that he is concerned about the advisory and how it is going to impact his business.
"One of our main menu items is rockfish," he said. "It's on our menu all year. We all have to worry about the advisory. It's a major concern."
But Stephen Norris of Norris Seafood, a seafood wholesaler on Cobb Island, said he does not believe that there is a health hazard from eating rockfish.
"As a matter of fact I've got some rockfish in the freezer and I'm thinking about taking it out and having it for supper," he said, laughing.
The elevated level of PCBs in striped bass is disappointing news, said Jim Long, coordinator of the Mattawoman Watershed Society in western Charles County.
"The region of the Potomac River where the Mattawoman Creek feeds is prime spawning ground for striped bass and it also serves as a nursery for their young," he said. "It's a shame that we've come to this level. … We really shouldn't accept this. This is another important issue that is related to urbanization and chemical pollution."
The fish should not be eaten at all by sensitive populations such as pregnant women, women of childbearing age, nursing mothers and children 6 and younger, said Kim Lamphier, MDE's spokeswoman, in a press release.
Adults should limit the consumption of rockfish to eight ounces a month and children should eat no more than one ounce a month, Lamphier said.
Adults should restrict consumption of bluefish to eight ounces every other month and children should limit the intake to one ounce every other month, Lamphier said.
Bluefish more than 20 inches long and large migratory striped bass tend to contain higher levels of PCBs, which is a known carcinogen, Lamphier said in the release. The high PCB levels in the two species of fish are causing concern among state environmental experts, she said.
"This effort reflects the benefits of cooperation across state lines to protect public health," said Rich Eskin, MDE's science services director, in the release. "To protect public health MDE will monitor PCB levels in coastal marine striped bass and bluefish and we will update consumption advisories as needed."
Other states that are issuing similar consumption advisories are Maine, Connecticut, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, New Jersey and Delaware, Lamphier said.
