06-04-2009, 08:54 AM
[left][font "Arial"][#000000]Bluefish, striped bass advisories issued in East[/#000000][/font][/left]
[left][font "Arial"][#000000]The Associated Press[/#000000][/font][/left]
[left][font "Arial"][#000000]PORTLAND, Maine - Seven East Coast states are advising pregnant women and young children to avoid eating striped bass and large bluefish caught recreationally in state waters because of high PCB levels in the migratory fish.[/#000000][/font][/left]
[left][font "Arial"][#000000]The Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention said Wednesday that pregnant women, women who may get pregnant, nursing mothers and children under 8 should avoid the fish altogether. Everybody else is being warned to limit consumption to four meals a year.[/#000000][/font][/left]
[left][font "Arial"][#000000]Maine officials say similar advisories are being issued in New Hampshire, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New Jersey, Delaware and Maryland.[/#000000][/font][/left]
[left][font "Arial"][#000000]Maine's previous bluefish and striped bass advisory was issued in 2000, when people were advised to limit consumption to no more than two meals per month.[/#000000][/font][/left]
[left][font "Arial"][#000000]NEW JERSEY UPDATES ADVISORY FOR CONSUMING LARGE BLUEFISH[/#000000][/font][/left]
[left][font "Arial"][#000000]For bluefish smaller than 24 inches and for striped bass, state officials continue to recommend no more than one meal per month (12 meals a year) for most people. Also unchanged are the bluefish and striped bass consumption advisories for infants, children, pregnant women, nursing mothers and women of child-bearing age - a high-risk group that is advised to avoid eating any bluefish or striped bass caught in Atlantic coastal waters. [/#000000][/font][/left]
[left][font "Arial"][#000000]Officials in New Jersey and six other coastal states updated their fish consumption advisories based on the results of a multi-state study, which evaluated PCB levels in striped bass and bluefish from Maine to Georgia. [/#000000][/font][/left]
[left][font "Arial"][#000000]Completed in 2008, the study also showed that bluefish and striped bass are not good sources of beneficial fish oils. Different from other fish, these two species have lower amounts of omega-3 fatty acids compared to the amount of PCBs they contain. [/#000000][/font][/left]
[left][font "Arial"][#000000]The other states -- Maine, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Connecticut, Delaware and Maryland - also are issuing similar updates and instructing pregnant women, young children and other high-risk people to avoid eating striped bass and large bluefish. All others are advised to consume only moderate amounts of these fish.[/#000000][/font][/left]
[left][font "Arial"][#000000]Aggressive cleanup efforts and improved disposal practices have reduced PCB contamination in the environment, and a continued decline in PCB levels in fish is anticipated. In the meantime, the public is encouraged to enjoy more frequent meals of other types of marine and freshwater species, such as flounder, weakfish and trout[/#000000][/font][font "Arial"][#000000].[/#000000][/font][/left]
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[left][font "Arial"][#000000]The Associated Press[/#000000][/font][/left]
[left][font "Arial"][#000000]PORTLAND, Maine - Seven East Coast states are advising pregnant women and young children to avoid eating striped bass and large bluefish caught recreationally in state waters because of high PCB levels in the migratory fish.[/#000000][/font][/left]
[left][font "Arial"][#000000]The Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention said Wednesday that pregnant women, women who may get pregnant, nursing mothers and children under 8 should avoid the fish altogether. Everybody else is being warned to limit consumption to four meals a year.[/#000000][/font][/left]
[left][font "Arial"][#000000]Maine officials say similar advisories are being issued in New Hampshire, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New Jersey, Delaware and Maryland.[/#000000][/font][/left]
[left][font "Arial"][#000000]Maine's previous bluefish and striped bass advisory was issued in 2000, when people were advised to limit consumption to no more than two meals per month.[/#000000][/font][/left]
[left][font "Arial"][#000000]NEW JERSEY UPDATES ADVISORY FOR CONSUMING LARGE BLUEFISH[/#000000][/font][/left]
[left][font "Arial"][#000000]For bluefish smaller than 24 inches and for striped bass, state officials continue to recommend no more than one meal per month (12 meals a year) for most people. Also unchanged are the bluefish and striped bass consumption advisories for infants, children, pregnant women, nursing mothers and women of child-bearing age - a high-risk group that is advised to avoid eating any bluefish or striped bass caught in Atlantic coastal waters. [/#000000][/font][/left]
[left][font "Arial"][#000000]Officials in New Jersey and six other coastal states updated their fish consumption advisories based on the results of a multi-state study, which evaluated PCB levels in striped bass and bluefish from Maine to Georgia. [/#000000][/font][/left]
[left][font "Arial"][#000000]Completed in 2008, the study also showed that bluefish and striped bass are not good sources of beneficial fish oils. Different from other fish, these two species have lower amounts of omega-3 fatty acids compared to the amount of PCBs they contain. [/#000000][/font][/left]
[left][font "Arial"][#000000]The other states -- Maine, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Connecticut, Delaware and Maryland - also are issuing similar updates and instructing pregnant women, young children and other high-risk people to avoid eating striped bass and large bluefish. All others are advised to consume only moderate amounts of these fish.[/#000000][/font][/left]
[left][font "Arial"][#000000]Aggressive cleanup efforts and improved disposal practices have reduced PCB contamination in the environment, and a continued decline in PCB levels in fish is anticipated. In the meantime, the public is encouraged to enjoy more frequent meals of other types of marine and freshwater species, such as flounder, weakfish and trout[/#000000][/font][font "Arial"][#000000].[/#000000][/font][/left]
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