NJ Crabbing Advisory, Contaminated Areas....

[DarkSkies]

Fin sent in the advisory below. Thanks, Fin.
I also wanted to add some comments in about striped bass.

I'm adding these comments because there is some difference between the accumulation in crabs and striped bass. However, a primary forage of striped bass is crabs, and bass do not have the ability to know if the crabs they are eating contain PCBs or not. :rolleyes:


For bass and other fish, that's partially true. However PCBs can and do accumulate in the fatty tissues of bass and other fish that feed from the bottom of the water column.

I have a friend I talk to all the time.

He used to be a commercial fishermen before he wised up and got into a better line of work.
He used to crab and clam in a lot of areas and knows about the toxic issues.

His feeling about striped bass, is that he will not eat any that are caught in the NY Bight area, Breezy Point to Sandy Hook.
He tells me he feels they are "dirty".
Meanwhile, that fish could have been in Maryland just 3 weeks prior to that. And after the fish are done in the Hudson they continue the migrational path. How do you know that fish you caught at Montauk,, weren't in the "dirty NY Bight" 3 weeks prior to that?....:HappyWave:


You don't, and can't know that, unless the fish is tagged.
My friend is pretty intelligent, and we are able to have some great discussions as we sit there and hypothesize about where and when the bodies of fish will be moving....he's usually right 90% of the time.
Yet, his stubbornness to not eat fish from the NY Bight, dspite the fact that they are migrators, still persists in his head.....

This is one of the things that makes this world a great place to live in...the differences of opinion that we all have...:thumbsup:

[DarkSkies]

My comments above were chiefly about striped bass.

While there is a PCB danger as explained., it is not as great as the danger from crabs and small fish that spend their lives in certain areas, such as the NY Bight.

This area contains areas of sediment that will never be "clean". The toxic metals and solids in the bottom sediment find their way into the meat of every creature that eats off the bottom there.


The following is yet another in a series of press releases.
Sent in by Finchaser, thanks. :HappyWave:
ery important stuff for the folks who live in those areas.

Some don't want to accept it, but it is the truth - eating large amounts of the species they described, from these areas, can hurt you.

Thanks for reading, folks.
Feel free to pass this along to anyone you feel could benefit.....




******
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 1, 2012

CONTACT: Bob Considine (609) 984-1795
Lawrence Ragonese (609) 292-2994
Lawrence Hajna (609) 984-1795
Donna Leusner (609) 984-7160 (DOH)


DEP ISSUES REMINDER ABOUT BAN ON BLUE CLAW CRABBING

(12/P88) TRENTON - As part of a coordinated multi-language community education effort taking place this week, the Department of Environmental Protection is reminding residents that harvesting blue claw crabs from the waters of the Lower Passaic River and Newark Bay is dangerous and prohibited.

Multiple studies show crabs from those waters continue to have harmful levels of cancer-causing dioxin and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), as well as other contaminants, including mercury. The DEP, along with several community groups and municipalities in the Lower Passaic and Newark Bay region, are continuing to notify area residents of the negative health effects of crabbing in those waters.

"It is very important that people observe the ban on crabbing in this area and not eat the crabs from these waters," said DEP Commissioner Bob Martin. "This is a matter of public health and safety for area residents. Clean waters in New Jersey are in abundance and we strongly recommend people go to those places for healthy fishing and crabbing."

While some crabs may appear healthy, contaminants found in blue claw crabs and some fish pulled from these waters can be harmful to fetuses and infants. Women of child-bearing years, pregnant women and nursing mothers, in particular, are urged not to ingest these crabs from this region. Children are also at risk of developmental and neurological problems if these crabs are eaten.

"There is no way to prepare crabs from these waters to make them safe for consumption,'' said Health Commissioner Mary E. O'Dowd

Persons who violate the crabbing ban in the Lower Passaic and Newark Bay are subject to fines ranging from $300 to $3,000 for a first offense.

The blue claw crab, a bottom feeder and dweller that absorbs contaminants in sediments, has become more abundant in the Passaic River and Newark Bay complex due to the prohibition on commercial crabbing. This increased size and abundance has made crabs even more attractive to harvest for some people.
To inform residents of risks of eating blue claw crabs pulled from the Lower Passaic River and Newark Bay aquatic complex, the DEP is working with the State Department of Health (DOH), local partners, and officials of 44 municipalities and 6 counties -- Bergen, Essex, Hudson, Middlesex, Union and Passaic - affected by this issue.

DOH has a new brochure entitled, "Got Your Claws in New Jersey Blue Crab?" that is available in English and Spanish, which advises consumers on crab consumption from these waters and how it can cause serious illness. For more information and a look at the new brochure, visit http://www.state.nj.us/health/foodanddrugsafety/ssp.shtml.
The region in question is a highly industrialized urban area that includes Newark Bay, the Arthur Kill and Kill Van Kull, and the tidal portions of the Hackensack, Passaic, Elizabeth, and Rahway rivers.

In 2005, the DEP and State Attorney General's Office filed a lawsuit against the companies responsible for the intentional discharge of dioxins into the Lower Passaic River. At that time, dioxin concentrations in Passaic River crabs and fish were among the highest in the world.

In March, the first stage of a two-phase project under direction of the federal Environmental Protection Agency to remove dioxin-contaminated and cancer-causing sediments from a small portion of the lower Passaic River commenced. Responsible parties have now removed about 40,000 cubic yards of dioxin-contaminated sediments from a segment of the river in Newark. The second phase calls for the removal of about 160,000 cubic yards of sediment from the same section of river.

For more information on the blue claw crab ban, including Spanish and Portuguese language information, visit: http://www.state.nj.us/dep/dsr/crab-outreach/alert-english.htm

For a full listing of marine fish advisories for Newark Bay and the Lower Passaic River, visit: http://www.state.nj.us/dep/dsr/fishadvisories/statewide.htm#newark

To see a list of fish consumption advisories in New Jersey, visit: www.FishSmartEatSmartNJ.org (http://www.fishsmarteatsmartnj.org/)

[DarkSkies]

The bottom line, it's really not safe to eat crabs from these areas on a regular basis.

There are those who will say they have been doing this for years with no ill results.
I say fine, there are people who smoke all their lives and never get cancer.
But a certain % will, and do, get cancer from smoking.
And a certain % will, and do, have health problems from eating dioxin laden crabs.

Please help to get the word out if you can.
Thanks, people. :HappyWave:

[DarkSkies]

Here's another thread that has a more comprehensive history of the Dioxin, PCB, and toxic sediment problem in NJ....
Thanks to all who have jumped in with their opinions.

http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/showthread.php?7049-Where-danger-is-the-catch

[captnemo]

I would never eat crabs from that area. The factories dumped into the rivers for the first half of the 20th century and who knows how long before that. You would have to be crazy to eat them.