Fishing Advisories and Fish
Contaminants
EEES 4730
Amanda Wendzicki
Objective
• To discuss the purpose of fish advisories,
the effects and origins of the
contaminants, and propose possible
solutions
Fishing Advisory
• A warning put out by
governing bodies that
people limit or avoid
eating certain species
of fish from certain
bodies of water.
– May coincide with
commercial fishing
bans
• Due to the level of
contaminants within a
body of water.
• May be targeted
toward specific
demographics
– Largely, women who
are pregnant or who
may become
pregnant and small
children
Cause for concern
• Many contaminants end up within water bodies
by means of runoff from improper containment
or disposal practices, or straight discharge from
industry.
• Many harmful compounds are long lasting within
the aquatic environment.
• Bioaccumulation causes for an increased
concentration of the contaminants within
predatory species.
• Many also lend to developmental problems in
humans as well as wildlife.
Contaminants
• 5 primary
contaminants
– Mercury
– PCBs
– Chlordane
– Dioxins
– DDT
• Long lasting in
sediments
• Accumulate in bottomdwellers
• Become more
concentrated in fish by
bioaccumulation as you
move up the trophic
levels
Mercury
• Much of the mercury originates with coalburning power plants
• Particularly of concern due to developmental
consequences for:
– Women who are or may become pregnant
– Nursing mothers
– Young children
Minamata Disaster
• Kyushu Japan, 1950s, Chisso Corporation
(petro chemical company)
– Discharge of mercury laden waste water into local
waters
– As of march 2001, 2265 victims
PCBs
• (Polychlorinate Biphenyl)
– Common coolant
– Most commonly observed health
affects
• Skin conditions
• Indicators of liver damage
• Yusho disease
• Kyushu Japan, 1968
• Rice bran oil became contaminated
• Got into chicken feed
Chlordane
• Sold in US until
1983 as an
insecticide
• Associated with
testicular and
prostate cancer
among other
cancers
Dioxins
• By-products of various
industrial processes
• Effect on humans relatively
unstudied
• Expected adult reactions:
• Liver damage
• Diabetes
• Immunological effects
• Developmental issues
believed to be greater
• Effecting sexual
development
DDT
• Synthetic insecticide
• 1962 Silent Spring
– Raised public awareness of effects
• Persistent organic pollutant
• Known for eggshell thinning of predatory birds
• Linked to broad developmental problems in
humans
Possible solutions
• Those contaminants that have been pesticides
have since largely been discontinued within the
US and replaced with safer alternatives.
– They still remain an issue in developing countries due
to their relative cost and effectiveness
• For those that are industry born, stricter
regulation and enforcement could aid in the
prevention of these contaminants reaching
aquatic habitats.
– Only discontinued use could end new contamination,
and little can be done to remove current
contamination once it has been bio accumulated
National Lake Fish Tissue Study
• Statistically based
surveys
conducted by EPA
since late 1990s
• Randomly
selected lakes
and reservoirs in
lower 48 states
• Divided into 6
size categories
• Collected
composites of one
predator species and
bottom-dwelling
species
• 5 adults
• Analyzed each
composite for 268
chemicals
• Created to provide baseline information to
track future changes
• Mercury and PCBs were present in every fish
sample
• 49% of entire sample population exceeded
EPA’s quality criteria of 0.3ppm of mercury
• 43 of 268 chemicals tested for not detected
"Water: Fish Advisories." Home | Water | US EPA.
Environmental Protection Agency. Web. 03 Nov.
2011. <http://water.epa.gov>.
The National Study of Chemical Residues in Lake Fish Tissue.
Washington, DC: United States Environmental
Protection Agency, Office of Water, Office of Science
and Technology, 2009. Print.
"Human Health: Fish Consumption -- Critical Contaminants."
Great Lakes Information Network. Web. 03 Nov. 2011.
<http://www.greatlakes.net/humanhealth/fish/critical.html>.