Or, at least warn people what they are eating! Here’s an email I got from the Madison Environmental Justice Organization with some good information about who’s eating the fish and what they need to know.
The Madison Environmental Justice Organization has just released a report entitled The State of Shoreline Fishing in Dane County: A report on fishing, fish consumption and public health advisories. This report has been submitted to the Department of Public Health for the City of Madison and Dane County for use in compilation of its report to the Dane County Board of Supervisors, as directed by Sub. 1 to Resolution 238, 07-08 Posting of Fish Advisory Notices along Dane County Waters. The Public Health report will be on the August 7 agenda of the County Board.
We ask that the Public Health Department include in its report a recommendation that fish consumption advisory information be better disseminated, especially to low-income and minority communities, through permanent, laminated metal signs at popular publicly-accessible shoreline fishing locations, in Hmong, Spanish and English.
Fish consumption advisory signs would have the greatest impact by being placed in the City of Madison parks that have lake shorelines where people fish. City parks with shoreline include Brittingham, Monona Terrace/Law, Cherokee Lake/Cherokee Marsh, Wingra Creek, Lake Wingra,Yahara Place Park and Olbrich Park. These signs would be a low-cost, effective means to communicate important public health information to people who will not learn about it it any other way.
Key findings in the report include:
* People who catch locally-caught fish eat about three fish meals per week. Some families eat many more fish meals per week than this, with many eating fish every day.
* Shoreline anglers catch a wide variety of fish, not just panfish. Bass, catfish and walleye are especially popular. These fish typically contain higher levels of toxins than panfish.
* Lake Monona, Lake Mendota, Tenney Park, Cherokee Marsh and Lake Wingra are very popular for shoreline fishermen of color.
* Most people are unaware of fish consumption advisories that are designed to protect public health. (For most people, one meal per week or month of certain fish is recommended.)For many people, the amounts of locally-caught fish they eat are greater than recommended in state fish consumption advisories. Due to mercury and PCB levels in fish, the State of Wisconsin has issued fish advisory warnings for anglers and those who eat locally caught fish from inland Wisconsin waters. Yet many anglers are not aware of these advisories.Levels of mercury, PCBs and other toxins that concentrate in fish are a known public health hazard. Shoreline anglers catch and consume many pan fish that may have lower toxin levels than larger fish, but when consumed in high quantities they may exceed levels recommended to avoid negative health effects; they also frequently catch and consume larger fish, which tend to have higher concentrations of toxins.
Through our investigations, we have learned that public agencies have very little data about local fish consumption habits and toxin levels in locally caught fish. Levels of mercury, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), pesticides, and other toxins are high enough in Dane County lake sediments and waters to raise concerns that people may need to limit their consumption of fish caught in these waters because these compounds build up in fish tissue, which humans consume. To partially address this data gap, MEJO has gathered data about fish consumption habits by interviewing more than 125 local fishermen and families who eat fish (published in the report)
Women of childbearing age, pregnant women and children are especially at risk for developmental, neurological and long term health problems from exposure to toxins present in locally caught fish. The environmental impacts of pollution on low-income and minority citizens are often unknown or underestimated because of a lack of data collection, and lack of consideration of these populations in determining public policy. This reality is a key component of environmental justice. The common good and sound public health policy is served by informing anglers and others of potential risks associated with consuming many kinds of locally caught fish.
The Madison Environmental Justice Organization (MEJO) was founded in 2006, with a mission to educate the community about environmental justice issues, work to address them, and support environmental justice for the benefit of the general public. We have been working with people of color and low-income residents for more than two years discussing toxins in locally-caught fish, and learning about cultural practices regarding fishing and preparing and eating fish.
The full report can be found on the MEJO website here and also by contacting MEJO directly at info@mejo.us.
