Contaminant and Pathogen Considerations:

Balancing the Fishing Experience with the Need to Protect Human Health

Authors: Barbara A. Knuth, Cynthia McOliver, Ellen Silbergeld, Nancy A. Connelly, and Ann Faulds

Urban fisheries provide an opportunity to recruit new participants to recreational fishing, provide experiences with nature that may be otherwise limited in urban settings, and build a support base of stakeholders who care about the future management and quality of fisheries and other natural resources in urban environments. Urban fisheries, however, are subject to other pressures of the urban scene, including viral and bacterial pathogens and chemical contaminants that enter the aquatic system, leading to the potential for human exposure to these agents through fishing and fish consumption. While contaminant-related concerns are often managed through the use of fish consumption advisories distributed by various organizations including state and local government and civic society organizations, there are no standard advisories for pathogens beyond those for acute outbreak situations. Many studies demonstrate the differential effectiveness of fish consumption advisories in reaching white, male audiences vs. anglers of other ethnic heritage, and women. The risks of pathogen and chemical contaminant exposure, however, may be greater in some cases for the fetus and thus exposures of pregnant women and women of childbearing age merit specific attention. Moreover, some studies indicate that urban anglers fish more frequently and consume their catch more frequently than do non-urban anglers, and that anglers in certain ethnic and minority groups are at the higher end of the fish consumption spectrum. Thus, both the importance of urban fishing and the potential risks associated with urban fishing are matters of environmental justice. Managing urban fisheries requires full evaluation of the potential health risks, including chemical contaminant and pathogen exposures, as well as accurate risk communication through effective community outreach, and responsive policy guidelines regarding stocking, signage, access, watershed protection, and other considerations that may help to minimize human exposure to contaminants and/or pathogens. Urban fisheries also provide an opportunity to engage local constituencies, such as watershed associations, in working toward a cleaner environment.