DarkSkies
08-26-2010, 07:00 PM
Sent in by a friend who fishes all over. :HappyWave:
Some may agree with this, some may not. I think it's important to keep bringing things like this out to all who fish, whether they can understand English or not.
On the other hand, there is always the argument where I meet someone and he says he won't eat bass from the NY Bight bays, but will eat them from the ocean.
Bass are migratory. Other than a tagged bass, there's no way to tell that the bass you caught off Point Pleasant today wasn't back in the Arthur Kill 3 weeks ago. So to the people who think the ocean bass are "always pristine" :rolleyes: while the dirty water bass are "always contaminated" :eek: I encourage you all to re-examine those thoughts.
Thanks for reading, people. And please pass this on to those who you think will benefit. :thumbsup:
The article:
http://www.northjersey.com/news/101448324_Where_danger_is_the_catch.html
Where danger is the catch: Many still dine on poisoned seafood from Lower Passaic River
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Last updated: Wednesday August 25, 2010, 8:01 AM
BY JENNIFER H. CUNNINGHAM
The Record
STAFF WRITER
#printDesc{display:none;}For most people who throw a baited hook into the polluted lower Passaic River, it's a given that eating what you catch is both illegal and really bad for you.
But state and federal officials say there are still those who — for economic or cultural reasons — shrug off the danger posed by the brew of industrial chemicals lurking in the 17-mile tidal stretch between the Dundee Dam at Garfield and Clifton down to Newark Bay. And so, despite a nearly 30-year ban on consuming fish and shellfish from the lower Passaic, there's no letting down their guard, or their warning efforts.
"It's been on our radar for many years," said Dr. Gary Buchanan, manager of the office of science at the state Department of Environmental Protection. "It's been a big focus of a lot of outreach efforts. We put tremendous resources into getting the message out."
The message has gotten through to most: Buchanan said five years ago the state surveyed anglers and found that the number eating the tainted seafood had gone down. But still, almost half of those who fish the Newark Bay Complex — which also includes Newark Bay, Kill Van Kull, Arthur Kill and the Hackensack River — consume their catch, according to the 2005 survey by the state Department of Environmental Protection, the most recent available.
Buchanan acknowledged that even today, contaminated seafood like blue crab, catfish and carp still is finding its way onto family dinner tables.
"You can't be there seven days a week, 365 days a year," he said. "But we try to get the word out."
At the Passaic River banks at Westside Park in Paterson on a recent sunny afternoon, anglers cast their lines out into the waterway, which was choked in some spots by algae blooms and fallen tree branches. Nearly all surveyed said they do not consume the fish they catch and release them after they're caught.
"I just come out here to clear my head," Allie Wimberly of Paterson said of why she enjoys fishing. Wimberly said she is from the South, where fishing is a social norm in some communities. "I don't keep anything from out of there. The water's dirty. I do it for fun, and because I like it."
But fisherman Tony Falcon, also of Paterson, said his stepfather occasionally eats fish from the Passaic. He said his stepfather isn't worried about the contaminants; he is originally from Peru and often fished and consumed seafood in his native country, where he believed the water was even more degraded.
"In their country, Peru, the water's worse," Falcon said as he cast out his fishing line. "But they do it anyway."
Environmental officials cite cultural traditions and the economy as some of the reasons why people are continuing to consume fish and shellfish from the river, which is laced with dioxin, PCBs and mercury, among other pollutants. The state Department of Environmental Protection says that over time, people who eat fish and shellfish from the Passaic River increase their likelihood of developing cancer. Children and pregnant women are particularly vulnerable.
"Especially in a tougher economic time, there are people who rely on fish and shellfish for sustenance," said David Kluesner, spokesman for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 2. "There are [also] cultural practices in place."
Lawrence Ragonese, a DEP spokesman, noted that fishing may be a way of life in the angler's ethnic group. They may not understand the hazard associated with eating seafood from the lower Passaic. And language barriers can be a problem as well in North Jersey's multilingual communities.
"There are some cultural issues that are difficult for us to deal with in terms of getting the word out," Ragonese said.
Shellfish, specifically blue crab, can be especially dangerous, because they spend their lives in the river sediment, where these chemicals are concentrated.
"We do know that the levels of dioxins, especially in blue crabs, are very high," Kluesner said, adding, "They're going to be living there — they're going to be filtering large amounts of contaminants."
Mercury, which collects in fish's muscle tissue and can cause neurological damage, can concentrate in fish, meaning that there could be 10 times the amount of heavy metal in the food chain than there is in the river water. Dioxin and PCBs can "bioaccumulate," meaning that larger fish, like striped bass, contain higher levels of the chemical because they eat already-contaminated smaller fish.
In terms of enforcement, people caught crabbing on the lower Passaic, for example, can face a fine. But state Department of Environmental Protection staff said they're using other methods besides enforcement — such as visiting schools, posting signs near the river, partnering with fishing and community groups and even a public service announcement from U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez — to warn the public about the dangers posed by a tainted catch.
But the economic downturn, atop all other factors, hasn't helped such efforts, and state officials know that means they have to stay vigilant that residents may be turning to the lower Passaic River as a free source of protein.
"With the tough economy," said Kluesner, "there is even more of a concern that people are eating fish and shellfish they shouldn't be eating."
For most people who throw a baited hook into the polluted lower Passaic River, it's a given that eating what you catch is both illegal and really bad for you.
http://media.northjersey.com/images/300*231/0825L_L1FISHBAN.jpg (http://media.northjersey.com/images/0825L_L1FISHBAN.jpg) JENNIFER H. CUNNINGHAM/STAFF
Tony Falcon holding a fish he caught in the lower Passaic River in Paterson. Such fish are often contaminated.
But state and federal officials say there are still those who — for economic or cultural reasons — shrug off the danger posed by the brew of industrial chemicals lurking in the 17-mile tidal stretch between the Dundee Dam at Garfield and Clifton down to Newark Bay. And so, despite a nearly 30-year ban on consuming fish and shellfish from the lower Passaic, there's no letting down their guard, or their warning efforts.
"It's been on our radar for many years," said Dr. Gary Buchanan, manager of the office of science at the state Department of Environmental Protection. "It's been a big focus of a lot of outreach efforts. We put tremendous resources into getting the message out."
The message has gotten through to most: Buchanan said five years ago the state surveyed anglers and found that the number eating the tainted seafood had gone down. But still, almost half of those who fish the Newark Bay Complex — which also includes Newark Bay, Kill Van Kull, Arthur Kill and the Hackensack River — consume their catch, according to the 2005 survey by the state Department of Environmental Protection, the most recent available.
Buchanan acknowledged that even today, contaminated seafood like blue crab, catfish and carp still is finding its way onto family dinner tables.
"You can't be there seven days a week, 365 days a year," he said. "But we try to get the word out."
At the Passaic River banks at Westside Park in Paterson on a recent sunny afternoon, anglers cast their lines out into the waterway, which was choked in some spots by algae blooms and fallen tree branches. Nearly all surveyed said they do not consume the fish they catch and release them after they're caught.
"I just come out here to clear my head," Allie Wimberly of Paterson said of why she enjoys fishing. Wimberly said she is from the South, where fishing is a social norm in some communities. "I don't keep anything from out of there. The water's dirty. I do it for fun, and because I like it."
But fisherman Tony Falcon, also of Paterson, said his stepfather occasionally eats fish from the Passaic. He said his stepfather isn't worried about the contaminants; he is originally from Peru and often fished and consumed seafood in his native country, where he believed the water was even more degraded.
"In their country, Peru, the water's worse," Falcon said as he cast out his fishing line. "But they do it anyway."
Environmental officials cite cultural traditions and the economy as some of the reasons why people are continuing to consume fish and shellfish from the river, which is laced with dioxin, PCBs and mercury, among other pollutants. The state Department of Environmental Protection says that over time, people who eat fish and shellfish from the Passaic River increase their likelihood of developing cancer. Children and pregnant women are particularly vulnerable.
"Especially in a tougher economic time, there are people who rely on fish and shellfish for sustenance," said David Kluesner, spokesman for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 2. "There are [also] cultural practices in place."
Lawrence Ragonese, a DEP spokesman, noted that fishing may be a way of life in the angler's ethnic group. They may not understand the hazard associated with eating seafood from the lower Passaic. And language barriers can be a problem as well in North Jersey's multilingual communities.
"There are some cultural issues that are difficult for us to deal with in terms of getting the word out," Ragonese said.
Shellfish, specifically blue crab, can be especially dangerous, because they spend their lives in the river sediment, where these chemicals are concentrated.
"We do know that the levels of dioxins, especially in blue crabs, are very high," Kluesner said, adding, "They're going to be living there — they're going to be filtering large amounts of contaminants."
Mercury, which collects in fish's muscle tissue and can cause neurological damage, can concentrate in fish, meaning that there could be 10 times the amount of heavy metal in the food chain than there is in the river water. Dioxin and PCBs can "bioaccumulate," meaning that larger fish, like striped bass, contain higher levels of the chemical because they eat already-contaminated smaller fish.
In terms of enforcement, people caught crabbing on the lower Passaic, for example, can face a fine. But state Department of Environmental Protection staff said they're using other methods besides enforcement — such as visiting schools, posting signs near the river, partnering with fishing and community groups and even a public service announcement from U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez — to warn the public about the dangers posed by a tainted catch.
But the economic downturn, atop all other factors, hasn't helped such efforts, and state officials know that means they have to stay vigilant that residents may be turning to the lower Passaic River as a free source of protein.
"With the tough economy," said Kluesner, "there is even more of a concern that people are eating fish and shellfish they shouldn't be eating."
Click here for more news from: Garfield (http://stripersandanglers.com/towns/Garfield.html), Passaic (http://stripersandanglers.com/towns/Passaic.html),
Some may agree with this, some may not. I think it's important to keep bringing things like this out to all who fish, whether they can understand English or not.
On the other hand, there is always the argument where I meet someone and he says he won't eat bass from the NY Bight bays, but will eat them from the ocean.
Bass are migratory. Other than a tagged bass, there's no way to tell that the bass you caught off Point Pleasant today wasn't back in the Arthur Kill 3 weeks ago. So to the people who think the ocean bass are "always pristine" :rolleyes: while the dirty water bass are "always contaminated" :eek: I encourage you all to re-examine those thoughts.
Thanks for reading, people. And please pass this on to those who you think will benefit. :thumbsup:
The article:
http://www.northjersey.com/news/101448324_Where_danger_is_the_catch.html
Where danger is the catch: Many still dine on poisoned seafood from Lower Passaic River
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Last updated: Wednesday August 25, 2010, 8:01 AM
BY JENNIFER H. CUNNINGHAM
The Record
STAFF WRITER
#printDesc{display:none;}For most people who throw a baited hook into the polluted lower Passaic River, it's a given that eating what you catch is both illegal and really bad for you.
But state and federal officials say there are still those who — for economic or cultural reasons — shrug off the danger posed by the brew of industrial chemicals lurking in the 17-mile tidal stretch between the Dundee Dam at Garfield and Clifton down to Newark Bay. And so, despite a nearly 30-year ban on consuming fish and shellfish from the lower Passaic, there's no letting down their guard, or their warning efforts.
"It's been on our radar for many years," said Dr. Gary Buchanan, manager of the office of science at the state Department of Environmental Protection. "It's been a big focus of a lot of outreach efforts. We put tremendous resources into getting the message out."
The message has gotten through to most: Buchanan said five years ago the state surveyed anglers and found that the number eating the tainted seafood had gone down. But still, almost half of those who fish the Newark Bay Complex — which also includes Newark Bay, Kill Van Kull, Arthur Kill and the Hackensack River — consume their catch, according to the 2005 survey by the state Department of Environmental Protection, the most recent available.
Buchanan acknowledged that even today, contaminated seafood like blue crab, catfish and carp still is finding its way onto family dinner tables.
"You can't be there seven days a week, 365 days a year," he said. "But we try to get the word out."
At the Passaic River banks at Westside Park in Paterson on a recent sunny afternoon, anglers cast their lines out into the waterway, which was choked in some spots by algae blooms and fallen tree branches. Nearly all surveyed said they do not consume the fish they catch and release them after they're caught.
"I just come out here to clear my head," Allie Wimberly of Paterson said of why she enjoys fishing. Wimberly said she is from the South, where fishing is a social norm in some communities. "I don't keep anything from out of there. The water's dirty. I do it for fun, and because I like it."
But fisherman Tony Falcon, also of Paterson, said his stepfather occasionally eats fish from the Passaic. He said his stepfather isn't worried about the contaminants; he is originally from Peru and often fished and consumed seafood in his native country, where he believed the water was even more degraded.
"In their country, Peru, the water's worse," Falcon said as he cast out his fishing line. "But they do it anyway."
Environmental officials cite cultural traditions and the economy as some of the reasons why people are continuing to consume fish and shellfish from the river, which is laced with dioxin, PCBs and mercury, among other pollutants. The state Department of Environmental Protection says that over time, people who eat fish and shellfish from the Passaic River increase their likelihood of developing cancer. Children and pregnant women are particularly vulnerable.
"Especially in a tougher economic time, there are people who rely on fish and shellfish for sustenance," said David Kluesner, spokesman for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 2. "There are [also] cultural practices in place."
Lawrence Ragonese, a DEP spokesman, noted that fishing may be a way of life in the angler's ethnic group. They may not understand the hazard associated with eating seafood from the lower Passaic. And language barriers can be a problem as well in North Jersey's multilingual communities.
"There are some cultural issues that are difficult for us to deal with in terms of getting the word out," Ragonese said.
Shellfish, specifically blue crab, can be especially dangerous, because they spend their lives in the river sediment, where these chemicals are concentrated.
"We do know that the levels of dioxins, especially in blue crabs, are very high," Kluesner said, adding, "They're going to be living there — they're going to be filtering large amounts of contaminants."
Mercury, which collects in fish's muscle tissue and can cause neurological damage, can concentrate in fish, meaning that there could be 10 times the amount of heavy metal in the food chain than there is in the river water. Dioxin and PCBs can "bioaccumulate," meaning that larger fish, like striped bass, contain higher levels of the chemical because they eat already-contaminated smaller fish.
In terms of enforcement, people caught crabbing on the lower Passaic, for example, can face a fine. But state Department of Environmental Protection staff said they're using other methods besides enforcement — such as visiting schools, posting signs near the river, partnering with fishing and community groups and even a public service announcement from U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez — to warn the public about the dangers posed by a tainted catch.
But the economic downturn, atop all other factors, hasn't helped such efforts, and state officials know that means they have to stay vigilant that residents may be turning to the lower Passaic River as a free source of protein.
"With the tough economy," said Kluesner, "there is even more of a concern that people are eating fish and shellfish they shouldn't be eating."
For most people who throw a baited hook into the polluted lower Passaic River, it's a given that eating what you catch is both illegal and really bad for you.
http://media.northjersey.com/images/300*231/0825L_L1FISHBAN.jpg (http://media.northjersey.com/images/0825L_L1FISHBAN.jpg) JENNIFER H. CUNNINGHAM/STAFF
Tony Falcon holding a fish he caught in the lower Passaic River in Paterson. Such fish are often contaminated.
But state and federal officials say there are still those who — for economic or cultural reasons — shrug off the danger posed by the brew of industrial chemicals lurking in the 17-mile tidal stretch between the Dundee Dam at Garfield and Clifton down to Newark Bay. And so, despite a nearly 30-year ban on consuming fish and shellfish from the lower Passaic, there's no letting down their guard, or their warning efforts.
"It's been on our radar for many years," said Dr. Gary Buchanan, manager of the office of science at the state Department of Environmental Protection. "It's been a big focus of a lot of outreach efforts. We put tremendous resources into getting the message out."
The message has gotten through to most: Buchanan said five years ago the state surveyed anglers and found that the number eating the tainted seafood had gone down. But still, almost half of those who fish the Newark Bay Complex — which also includes Newark Bay, Kill Van Kull, Arthur Kill and the Hackensack River — consume their catch, according to the 2005 survey by the state Department of Environmental Protection, the most recent available.
Buchanan acknowledged that even today, contaminated seafood like blue crab, catfish and carp still is finding its way onto family dinner tables.
"You can't be there seven days a week, 365 days a year," he said. "But we try to get the word out."
At the Passaic River banks at Westside Park in Paterson on a recent sunny afternoon, anglers cast their lines out into the waterway, which was choked in some spots by algae blooms and fallen tree branches. Nearly all surveyed said they do not consume the fish they catch and release them after they're caught.
"I just come out here to clear my head," Allie Wimberly of Paterson said of why she enjoys fishing. Wimberly said she is from the South, where fishing is a social norm in some communities. "I don't keep anything from out of there. The water's dirty. I do it for fun, and because I like it."
But fisherman Tony Falcon, also of Paterson, said his stepfather occasionally eats fish from the Passaic. He said his stepfather isn't worried about the contaminants; he is originally from Peru and often fished and consumed seafood in his native country, where he believed the water was even more degraded.
"In their country, Peru, the water's worse," Falcon said as he cast out his fishing line. "But they do it anyway."
Environmental officials cite cultural traditions and the economy as some of the reasons why people are continuing to consume fish and shellfish from the river, which is laced with dioxin, PCBs and mercury, among other pollutants. The state Department of Environmental Protection says that over time, people who eat fish and shellfish from the Passaic River increase their likelihood of developing cancer. Children and pregnant women are particularly vulnerable.
"Especially in a tougher economic time, there are people who rely on fish and shellfish for sustenance," said David Kluesner, spokesman for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 2. "There are [also] cultural practices in place."
Lawrence Ragonese, a DEP spokesman, noted that fishing may be a way of life in the angler's ethnic group. They may not understand the hazard associated with eating seafood from the lower Passaic. And language barriers can be a problem as well in North Jersey's multilingual communities.
"There are some cultural issues that are difficult for us to deal with in terms of getting the word out," Ragonese said.
Shellfish, specifically blue crab, can be especially dangerous, because they spend their lives in the river sediment, where these chemicals are concentrated.
"We do know that the levels of dioxins, especially in blue crabs, are very high," Kluesner said, adding, "They're going to be living there — they're going to be filtering large amounts of contaminants."
Mercury, which collects in fish's muscle tissue and can cause neurological damage, can concentrate in fish, meaning that there could be 10 times the amount of heavy metal in the food chain than there is in the river water. Dioxin and PCBs can "bioaccumulate," meaning that larger fish, like striped bass, contain higher levels of the chemical because they eat already-contaminated smaller fish.
In terms of enforcement, people caught crabbing on the lower Passaic, for example, can face a fine. But state Department of Environmental Protection staff said they're using other methods besides enforcement — such as visiting schools, posting signs near the river, partnering with fishing and community groups and even a public service announcement from U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez — to warn the public about the dangers posed by a tainted catch.
But the economic downturn, atop all other factors, hasn't helped such efforts, and state officials know that means they have to stay vigilant that residents may be turning to the lower Passaic River as a free source of protein.
"With the tough economy," said Kluesner, "there is even more of a concern that people are eating fish and shellfish they shouldn't be eating."
Click here for more news from: Garfield (http://stripersandanglers.com/towns/Garfield.html), Passaic (http://stripersandanglers.com/towns/Passaic.html),