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#1 Mar-01-10 4:01PM

Ernie
Administrator
From: Ashburn VA
Registered: Feb-03-06
Posts: 15564

New Atlantic Striped Bass and Bluefish Consumption Advisories

On behalf of Maryland DNR Fisheries Service Director, Tom O'Connell:

I am writing to clarify information previously released about the consumption of striped bass and bluefish from the Atlantic coastal waters of Maryland. The Maryland Department of the Environment, along with other east coast states this week, issued a fish consumption advisory for striped bass and bluefish. This advisory only includes fish caught recreationally from the Atlantic coastal waters.

The advisory is based on levels of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB’s) and recommends that pregnant women, women of childbearing age, nursing mothers and children six years of age and younger not eat any striped bass or bluefish caught recreationally in the Atlantic, and the general population should not eat more than one meal per month of striped bass and one meal every other month of bluefish.

The Eastern Coastal Striped Bass and Bluefish Consumption Advisory Workgroup, of which MDE is a member, made the decision to issue a blanket advisory for all states involved. This particular advisory does not address striped bass caught in the Chesapeake Bay and its estuaries.

Maryland does have a less restrictive consumption advisory issued by MDE for striped bass in the Chesapeake Bay. It recommends size based reductions in meals per month for all consumers. For Chesapeake Bay striped bass over 28 inches, it also recommends that children avoid consumption. This reflects the current contamination values for striped bass in the Bay, but it may be updated later this year after additional fish are analyzed.

Maryland does not have an advisory in the Bay for bluefish consumption because larger bluefish tend to be found further north, and the Workgroup found that there is a positive correlation between contamination levels and size of bluefish. Maryland will be collecting and analyzing additional Chesapeake bluefish samples later this year.

The MDE advisory for the Atlantic coastal waters only covers recreationally caught fish, not commercially caught fish. The Food and Drug Administration maintains jurisdiction over commercially caught fish. Because of different risk calculations, based on the likelihood that fish are brought from more diverse sources, the FDA applies different standards. For more information on how it determines a consumption advisory, the FDA website is www.FDA.gov.

The Eastern Coastal Striped Bass and Bluefish Consumption Advisory Workgroup, was formed to develop consistent advice for consumption of recreational catch of these species which migrate between state waters. The Workgroup examined contaminant data, from state and federal sources including Maryland. The data indicates that PCB concentrations have declined since the 1980s. However, recent medical information suggests that a more restrictive consumption advisory is warranted.

If you have any questions or comments please don't hesitate to contact me at customerservice@dnr.state.md.us.


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