Decisional Inconsistencies in the Management of Contaminated,Sport-Caught Fish

Abstract

Persistent toxic pollutants such as polychlorinated biphenyls and mercury accumulate in tissues of fish that are caught and consumed by sport anglers and their families. Unlike commercially-sold fish, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) does not regulate sport-caught fish that are contaminated with these and other pollutants. Instead, nearly every state in the U.S. develops and issues consumption advice for contaminated sport-caught fish. We examined fish consumption advice issued by states that border and share waters of the Mississippi River. Our examination identified numerous jurisdictional inconsistencies that threaten the receptivity and credibility of consumption advice and, more important, threaten the health of individuals who consume contaminated sport-caught fish.