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by Paul Turi
(from Jersey Coast Anglers Association May 2004 Newsletter)
The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection has developed a work plan for the Routine Monitoring Program for Toxics in Fish: Estuarine and Marine Waters and will be holding public hearings to discuss their plan.
To quote the DEP: “Fish and shellfish consumption advisories due to toxic chemical contamination were announced in New Jersey in the 1980’s and 1990’s. Data from Division of Science, Research and Technology studies revealed that unacceptable risks existed for eating certain species of fish and shellfish from certain waters in the State. These advisories particularly apply to pregnant women, nursing mothers and young children because PCB’s, dioxin and mercury are known to cause birth defects, developmental problems, neurological problems and/or cancer. However, limited new data has been generated in the past ten years. Therefore, it is not known how appropriate the advisories are today.”
The DEP will be looking at the effect toxins have on the recreational and commercial fisheries in New Jersey. According to the DEP, New Jersey recreational anglers spend over $750 million annually resulting in over 20,000 fulltime jobs and $45 million in sales tax income to New Jersey. The commercial fishery has approximately 1,900 commercial fishing vessels producing dockside sales of fish, shellfish and crustaceans valued at over $95 million annually. The commercial industry employs approximately 22,000 people in the harvesting, processing and wholesale and retail sales of marine fish and shellfish. According to the DEP, the combined value of the commercial and recreational industries to the economy of New Jersey is between $1.5 and $2.1 billion.
So, as you can see, the recreational and commercial fisheries in New Jersey are very important to our economy and, if left unchecked, contamination of our fish and shellfish can have devastating results.
Part of the plan will involve fish tissue-sampling which will aid in issuing up to date and accurate fish advisories. They feel a consistent positive message on the benefits of eating seafood along with the fish tissue-sampling program will benefit the recreational and commercial fishing interests in New Jersey.
Seven species are under consumption advisories for PCB and/or dioxin contamination. They are striped bass, bluefish, white perch, white catfish, American eel, blue crab and lobster. These species are a starting point for the design of their Fish Monitoring Program. Fillets will be analyzed for both PCBs and total mercury as well as lipids. Another part of their plan calls for monitoring at specific locations such as Newark Bay and Raritan River for dioxins/furans.
According to the DEP, if additional funding becomes available they will sample additional sites and additional species.
I have only touched on a small part of their plan which I feel will be of interest to recreational anglers. If anyone is interested in attending the public hearings they will take place on the following dates and at the following locations:
Tuesday, April 20 at the West Deptford Public Library South Jersey Environmental Information Center, 420 Crown Point Rd., Thorofare, NJ and Thursday, April 22 at the Jacques Cousteau Coastal Education Center, 130 Great Bay Blvd., Tuckerton, NJ. Both of these meetings will begin at 2:00 P.M.
There will also be a meeting on Monday, April 26 at the South Brunswick Township Municipal Complex located at 540 Ridge Rd., Monmouth Junction. This meeting will be held at night from 7:00 P.M. to 9:00 P. M.
The final meeting will be held on Tuesday, April 27 at the Rutgers Law Clinic, Newark. This meeting will be held from 2:00 P.M. to 4:00 P.M.
Anyone wishing to review the entire document prior to the hearings may obtain a copy by calling the DEP or visiting their website.