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Can You Eat That Striped Bass From the Hudson?

Striped bass are one of the most well-known fish in the entire , prized by generations of fishermen. Most anglers consider striped bass “ocean fish,” believing they spend only a short portion of their lives in the Hudson River during their annual spring spawning run. This is why they think that striped bass are not contaminated with PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls), compared to other Hudson River fish. The truth is that some striped bass stay in the Hudson, especially between Troy and Catskill, for much longer than their spawning run. The results of testing over many decades show that these striped bass have PCB levels often three to four times higher than other striped bass found south of the Bridge in Catskill. Researchers have followed the movement of striped bass in the river by tagging them and discovered there is a “resident population” that stays in the Hudson River all year round. How do you know if the striped bass you catch is one of those resident fish? The answer is - you don’t! For this reason, the NYS Department of Health (NYS DOH) has a “do not eat” advisory on recreationally caught striped bass between Troy and Catskill and other restrictions south of Catskill (see page 3). This advisory has been in effect for more than 20 years.

What are the chances of catching a striped bass with more than 1 part per million (ppm) of PCBs?

Troy Troy Catskill (Fall Season) (Spring Season) (Spring Season)

85-100% 30-50% 3-21%

below above or equal 1 ppm to 1 ppm

This graphic represents the percentage of striped bass that exceed 1 ppm (part per million) of PCBs sampled in the Hudson River at Troy and Catskill in any given year between 2007 and 2015. One ppm is a health protective guideline used by NYS DOH for setting PCB based fish advisories. Check out the rest of this packet for more details and a “deeper dive” into the data.

Each year, the State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYS DEC) collects fish and analyzes them for chemical contamination, and the New York State Department of Health (NYS DOH) reviews the data and sets consumption advice. For a complete listing of fish consumption advice for New York State, visit: www.health.ny.gov/fish. 1 Table of Contents

Page 2 - Your Health and Eating Fish with PCBs

Page 3 - Advice on Eating Striped Bass - Hudson River, , and Page 4 - Hudson River Striped Bass PCB Levels Higher Than Other Waters Page 5 - More Recent Data: Average Striped Bass PCB Levels Consistent Over a Decade Page 6 - Tagging Study Shows Some Striped Bass Stay in the Hudson River Page 7 - Different PCB Levels, Different Advice

Page 8-9 - What is Your Chance of Catching a High PCB Striped Bass?

Page 10 - 1986: Snapshot of Past PCB Levels

Page 11 - By Popular Request - How Old is my Fish? Striped Bass Average Length at Age

Your Health and Eating Fish with PCBs Anglers often fish from a limited set of waters and tend to return to their favorite fishing locations. When fish in those waters have higher contaminant levels, those who eat them can have higher contaminant exposures. Striped bass anglers who fish between Troy and the in Catskill have a much higher chance of catching a striped bass with PCB levels well above the recommended NYS DOH guidelines. This means people who regularly eat fish from this section of the river could be exposed to more PCBs than people who regularly eat fish from lower reaches of the Hudson River, like Catskill and Kingston. While you may not notice a change in your health after eating one fish meal with high levels of PCBs, PCBs can remain in the body. The “half-life” of many PCBs in the human body is around 10-15+ years, meaning that if you eat a fish meal with PCBs today, half of those PCBs will likely still be in your body 10- 15 years later. Long-term exposure could increase the risk for reproductive health effects (such as changes in sperm quality and longer time to pregnancy), birth defects and possibly cancer. For more in-depth information about how PCBs can affect human health, see the additional resources section on the back page. We encourage anglers to follow the NYS DOH advice to get the benefits of eating fish while protecting against the harmful effects of chemicals that may be present.

2 Advice on Eating Striped Bass Hudson River, New York City, and Long Island

Hudson River Federal Dam Women under Men over 15 and Troy Location 50 and Children Albany Women over 50 Rensselaer under 15 Albany From Federal Dam at Troy to Rip Van Winkle Bridge DON’T EAT DON’T EAT at Catskill Columbia From Rip Van Winkle Greene Up to 1 meal/ Hudson Bridge at Catskill to NYC DON’T EAT month Catskill Battery Rip Van Winkle Bridge

Kingston NYC Area Waters Women under Ulster Men over 15 and Location 50 and Children Women over 50 under 15 Dutchess

Hudson River to Throgs Neck Bridge, , , west of Wolfe’s Up to 1 meal/ DON’T EAT Pond Park, Upper New York month Bay north of Verrazano Newburgh Narrows Bridge Putnam Arthur , & DON’T EAT DON’T EAT Peekskill Orange Westchester Rockland Atlantic Ocean, Jamaica Bay, , Lower south Bridge (formerly Long Island Up to 4 meals/ Up to 1 meal/ of Verrazano Narrows Tappan Zee Bridge) Sound month month Bridge, Raritan Bay east Block Island Sound George of Wolfe’s Pond Park (and Bronx other Long Island waters) Throgs Neck Bridge Suffolk Gardiners Bay NYC Battery Nassau

Kings

Richmond Wolfe’s Atlantic Ocean Pond Park Raritan Bay * For a more detailed map of NYC waters, please visit: www.health.ny.gov/fish/NYC 3 Hudson River Striped Bass PCB Levels Higher Than Other Waters

At a Glance Average Striped Bass PCBs in the Hudson River • PCB levels in striped bass vs. Other East Coast Rivers from the Hudson River are 5.0 much higher than other Hudson River Other East Coast Rivers East Coast Rivers. 4.5 • As shown in this graph, 4.0 average levels of PCBs 3.5 in striped bass sampled 3.0 in Troy during the spring 2.5 are almost double those Avg. PCB (ppm) found further south from 2.0 Poughkeepsie to PCBs (ppm) New York City. 1.5 • These data show why no 1.0 one should eat striped 0.5 bass caught between the Federal Dam in Troy and 0 the Rip Van Winkle Bridge in Catskill. PCB levels in striped bass are lower downstream of Catskill (for example, Poughkeepsie).

Adapted from Figure 2-3 of the Interstate Workgroup on Evaluating Atlantic Coastal Advisories for Recreationally Caught Striped Bass and Bluefish based on PCBs - 10/1/2008. Fish were caught in spring or early summer unless otherwise noted. A link to this paper is provided on the back page.

Hudson River striped bass PCB levels are shown at left with the grey background. The Hudson River data is from 2005 and 2006 but these levels are still representative of PCB levels in striped bass today. The data from the other waters is from 1998-2005 as noted. Between Poughkeepsie and NYC the (first two bars from left), the average PCB levels in striped bass are similar to those found in other East Coast rivers with PCB contamination. Levels shown for Troy (third and fourth bar from left) are almost double those found lower in the Hudson River, and striped bass collected in the fall from Troy (fifth and sixth bars from left) have total PCB levels seven to nine times higher than those found further south during the spring. 4 4 More Recent Data: Average Striped Bass PCB Levels Consistent Over a Decade 3.5

At a Glance 4 Average PCB Levels in Hudson River Striped Bass by Location 3 2007-2015 • Troy striped bass PCB 3.5 levels remain consistently

high; levels are lower2.5 south of Catskill. 3 • The average PCB levels) in

this graph are similarm (pp to 2.5

s 2 the 2005 and 2006 data ) shown on page 4. PCB m (pp

• PCB levels in fish can vary s 2 1.5 PCB a lot by location even PCBs (ppm) within a single year. These 1.5 fluctuations can be caused by many environmental1 factors, including access 1 to food (which affects fat levels in fish) and0.5 weather-related factors 0.5 (flooding, storms, and temperature). 0 0 • The same NYS DOH Troy Fall TroyTroy in Fa Fallll Troy SprTroyTinrogy inSp Springring CaCtCatskillastksiklilll PPoughkeepsieouPghokueegphskieeepsie Haverstraw/MarioHaverstraHaw/Mverarisotr CuoCuomoawm/Mo arioG CuoeorgeGeorgem oa shi ngtGoneorge ashington Bridge/Crotonridge/Croton Bayay Washingtonridge Bridge striped bass advisory for Sampling oca�on ridge/Croton ay ridge SaSamplingmpling Locationoca�on the Hudson River has 2007 2008 200 2010 2011 2013 2014 2015 2007 2008 200 2010 2011 2013 2014 2015 been in effect for more than 20 years. Data provided by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation This graph shows Hudson River striped bass average PCB data from 2007-2015 organized by location from north to south. PCB levels are the highest in striped bass caught in the fall (Oct/Nov) near Troy. NYS DOH continues to evaluate Hudson River fish PCB levels on an annual basis as data from the NYS DEC become available.

5 Tagging Study Shows Some Striped Bass Stay in Hudson River Striped Bass Habitat Use and Migrations in the Hudson River Estuary Migration Studies: Striped Bass Habitat Use and Migrations in the Hudson River Estuary At a Glance May 18, 2011 May 29, 2011 June 9, 2011 “The great mixing” Groups begin Upper estuary group remains in river, lower • Recent studies have separating estuary group moves into NY Harbor shown a “resident”

population of striped bass Federal Dam, Federal Dam, Federal Dam, (in red) that stay in the Troy Troy Troy Rensselaer Rensselaer Rensselaer Hudson River for longer Albany Albany Albany than previously thought. • These “resident fish” mix in with the spring run Catskill Columbia Catskill Columbia Catskill Columbia between Troy and Catskill Greene Greene Greene and can have very high PCB levels (see graphs on pages 7-9). • PCB data from striped Ulster Ulster Ulster Dutchess Dutchess bass collected in the fall Dutchess support this idea of a resident group staying in Newburgh Newburgh Newburgh the river. Orange Putnam Orange Putnam Orange Putnam = Upper Estuary Group (red fish) • Primarily stays in Hudson River System Westchester Westchester Westchester • Tagged in Fall 2009 in Upper Estuary Rockland Rockland Rockland = Lower Estuary Group (green fish) • Spawns in upper estuary then returns to NY Harbor • Tagged in Fall 2009 in Lower Estuary GW Bridge GW Bridge GW Bridge

= Ocean Group (blue fish) • Primarily comes into Hudson to spawn • Tagged in Spring 2010 in Upper Estuary This study used acoustic telemetry (a type of tagging) to track striped bass before, during and after their Research supported by Hudson River Foundation. spawning run. Shown here are three snapshots of the different groups of fish in May and June during and Gahagan, B.I., D.A. Fox, and D.H. Secor. Partial migration of striped bass: Revisiting the contingent hypothesis. after the spawning season. See key at left for color coding. Links to this study and an animation of fish 6 Marine Ecology Progress Series. Vol. 525: 185–197, 2015 movement are provided on the back page of this packet. How Variable are PCB levels in Striped Bass in One Year? Total PCBs in Striped Bass, Spring & Fall 2013 Different PCB Levels,8 Different Advice

At a Glance PCBs7 in Individual Striped Bass, 2013 Troy (Fall and Spring) Advisory = everyone DON’T EAT • Regardless of the time of year, especially in Troy, you could catch a fish with PCB levels greater 6 than 1 ppm (parts per million). Since you can’t know what the levels of PCBs are in your specific fish, we recommend following the NYS DOH 5 advice to reduce your risk. • To help put these PCB levels into perspective for this packet, generally, a “don’t eat” advisory 4 for everyone may be issued when fish average PCBs (ppm) PCBs over 2 ppm PCBs. PCBs (ppm) • When sampled fish average between1 ppm 3 and 2 ppm PCBs, a “don’t eat” advisory for women of childbearing age and children and 1 meal/month advisory for men and older 2 women may be issued. • However, NYS DOH doesn’t just use numerical How Variableguidelines are to PCB set fish levels advice. inOther Striped factors Howare Bass Variable in One1 areYear? PCB levels in Striped Bass in One Year? Totalconsidered PCBs in such Striped as number Bass, of fish sampled,Spring years & FallTotal 2013 PCBs in Striped Bass, Spring & Fall 2013 of available data, and balancing the benefits of 8 fish consumption8 versus the risks of exposure. 0 Troy - Fall Troy - Spring • For more information on how we set advisories,

Each Bar = PCBs in One Fish Catskill Catskill Catskill Catskill Catskill Catskill Catskill

visit: www.health.ny.gov/fish/background.htm. Troy Dam Troy Dam Troy Dam Troy Dam Troy Dam Troy Dam Troy Dam Troy Dam Troy Dam Troy Dam

7 7 Sampling Location Croton Bay Croton Bay Croton Bay Croton Bay Croton Bay Croton Bay Croton Bay Croton Bay Poughkeepsie Poughkeepsie Poughkeepsie Poughkeepsie Poughkeepsie Poughkeepsie Poughkeepsie Poughkeepsie

• For more information on health effects, see the Dam - FallTroy Dam - FallTroy Dam - FallTroy Dam - FallTroy Dam - FallTroy Dam - FallTroy Dam - FallTroy Dam - FallTroy Dam - FallTroy Dam - FallTroy resources listed on the back page of this packet. Geo Washington Br Geo Washington Br Geo Washington Br Geo Washington Br Geo Washington Br Geo Washington Br Geo Washington Br Geo Washington Br 6 6

5 5 PCBs in Individual Striped Bass, 2013 Catskill to NYC (Spring) Advisory = Men over 15 and Women over 50 can eat up to 1 meal/month

4 4 PCBs (ppm) PCBs (ppm) PCBs

3 3 PCBs (ppm)

2 2

1 1

0 0 Catskill Catskill Catskill Catskill Catskill Catskill Catskill Catskill Catskill Catskill Catskill Catskill Catskill Catskill Troy Dam Troy Dam Troy Dam Troy Dam Troy Dam Troy Dam Troy Dam Troy Dam Troy Dam Troy Dam Troy Dam Troy Dam Troy Dam Troy Dam Troy Dam Troy Dam Troy Dam Troy Dam Troy Dam Troy Dam Croton Bay Croton Bay Croton Bay Croton Bay Croton Bay Croton Bay Croton Bay Croton Bay Croton Bay Croton Bay Croton Bay Croton Bay Croton Bay Croton Bay Croton Bay Croton Bay Poughkeepsie Poughkeepsie Poughkeepsie Poughkeepsie Poughkeepsie Poughkeepsie Poughkeepsie Poughkeepsie Poughkeepsie Poughkeepsie Poughkeepsie Poughkeepsie Poughkeepsie Poughkeepsie Poughkeepsie Poughkeepsie Troy Dam - FallTroy Dam - FallTroy Dam - FallTroy Dam - FallTroy Dam - FallTroy Dam - FallTroy Dam - FallTroy Dam - FallTroy Dam - FallTroy Dam - FallTroy Dam - FallTroy Dam - FallTroy Dam - FallTroy Dam - FallTroy Dam - FallTroy Dam - FallTroy Dam - FallTroy Dam - FallTroy Dam - FallTroy Dam - FallTroy

Each Bar = PCBs in One Fish Sampling Location Geo Washington Br Geo Washington Br Geo Washington Br Geo Washington Br Geo Washington Br Geo Washington Br Geo Washington Br Geo Washington Br 7 Geo Washington Br Geo Washington Br Geo Washington Br Geo Washington Br Geo Washington Br Geo Washington Br Geo Washington Br Geo Washington Br What is Your Chance of Catching a High PCB Striped Bass?

At a Glance 8 PCBs in Individual Striped Bass by Location, 2015 • All along the Hudson River, striped bass can contain very 7 high levels of PCBs. • In general, there is less 6 chance of catching a high PCB fish south of Catskill. 5 • This pattern persists year after year (see two 4 additional years on page 9). PCBs (ppm) • Fish sampled in this graph 3 and the graphs on page 9 were representative of fish 2 generally over 18 inches. • PCB levels shown are only 1 from the edible portion of the fish (fillet, skin, and dark 0 Troy in Fall Troy in Spring Catskill Poughkeepsie Haverstraw Bay George belly meat - fish are not Washington Bridge

“blended whole”). Each Bar = PCBs in One fish Sampling Location • For more information about Data provided by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation how NYS DEC processes fish Each bar on this graph represents the PCB levels in one fish that was sampled. In this example and on the following samples see the link for Of page, you can see that it is possible to get a high PCB fish in any of these locations. The likelihood is much higher if Time, PCBs and the Fish of you are fishing north of Catskill. the Hudson River on the The data presented in this graph is for fish between 17.4 and 38.7 inches (only 1 out of 146 fish was under 18 inches), back page. and the average length was 25.4 inches.

8 What is Your Chance of Catching a High PCB Striped Bass? Pattern Persists Year After Year

8 8 PCBs in Individual Striped Bass, 2011 PCBs in Individual Striped Bass, 2013 7 7

6 6

5 5

4 4

3 PCBs (ppm) PCBs (ppm) 3

2 2

1 1

0 0 Troy in Troy in Spring Catskill Poughkeepsie Haverstraw Bay George Troy in Fall Troy in Spring Catskill Poughkeepsie Croton Bay George Fall Washington Bridge Sampling Location Sampling Location Washington Bridge Each Bar = PCBs in One fish Each Bar = PCBs in One fish Data provided by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation What are the chances (out of ten) of catching a striped bass with over 1 ppm PCBs in different parts of the river? 2011 2013 Troy Troy Catskill Troy Troy Catskill (Fall Season) (Spring Season) (Spring Season) (Fall Season) (Spring Season) (Spring Season)

100% 50% 10% 70% 50% 5% Below Above or equal 1 ppm to 1 ppm

In 2011, the fish sampled were between 17.8 and 35.0 inches (only 3 out of 131 fish were under 18 inches), and average length was 25.0 inches. In 2013, the fish sampled were between 17.8 and 38.5 inches (only 3 out of 153 fish were under 18 inches), and average length was 25.4 inches. For more information about how NYS DEC processes fish samples for PCBs, see the link for Of Time, PCBs and the Fish of the Hudson River on the back page of this packet. 9 Snapshot of Past Levels - Total PCBs in Hudson River Striped Bass Snap Shot of Past levelsSpring - Total and PCBs Fall in 1986Hudson River Striped Bass Spring and Fa/11986 (Levelsare for spring unless otherwise noted)

At a Glance so • This graph from 1986 shows how much higher PCB levels in striped bass were 30 years ago. • Note the scale (on the left) of this graph goes up to over 50 ppm compared to 8 ppm in the previous 40 three graphs. • PCB production and use by factories ended in 1977, and PCBs were banned in 1979. • The first fish advisories for the Hudson River were 30 issued in 1975. Excluding a few species, a full commercial fishing ban was put into effect on the (ppm) entire river in 1976 to protect public health. al.,, u a. 20

10

0 Troy Troy in Catskill Poughkeepsie Croton Pt. Croton Pt. Croton Croton Mario Cuomo Bridge George Washington Bay in Summer Rondout in Fall in Spr. Bay (formerly Tappan Zee) Bridge in Spr. Fall Creek in Fall (Each Bar = PCBs in One fish) Sampling Location

Data provided by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation 10 By Popular Request: How Old is My Fish? Striped Bass Average Length at Age

At a Glance

• While this chart can’t tell you if your fish has high PCB levels, it can help you age your fish by length. Striped Bass: Average Length at Age

0 1 2 3 4 5 ge (years) 6 7 8 9 10 pproximate A pproximate

A 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 Average Length (inches) DataData provided provided by by the the NYSNYS Department of of Environmental Environmental Conservation, Conservation, Hudson Hudson River RiverFisheries Fisheries Unit Unit 11 More Information

Hudson River Fish Advisory Outreach Program New York State Department of Health [email protected] 518-402-7530 www.health.ny.gov/fish www.health.ny.gov/hudsonriverfish

Additional Resources

NYS Fish Advisory Resources NYS health advice on eating fish you catch: www.health.ny.gov/fish How NYS DOH sets advisories: www.health.ny.gov/fish/background.htm Tips for reducing contaminants in a fish meal: www.health.ny.gov/fish/tips.htm

Health Effects of PCBs Overview of PCBs and health: www.atsdr.cdc.gov/toxfaqs/tf.asp?id=140&tid=26 More information on cancer and non-cancer health effects of PCBs: www.epa.gov/pcbs/learn-about-polychlorinated-biphenyls-pcbs#healtheffects In-depth review of PCB human health studies and summary of conclusions: www.atsdr.cdc.gov/csem/csem.asp?csem=30&po=10

Research on Hudson River Striped Bass Migrations Animation of migration study and ongoing projects by David Secor: http://fishconnectivity.cbl.umces.edu/research/hudson-river-estuary-studies

Partial migration of striped bass: revisiting the contingent hypothesis Gahagan, B.I., D.A. Fox, and D.H. Secor. Marine Ecology Progress Series. Vol. 525: 185–197, 2015 http://www.int-res.com/abstracts/meps/v525/p185-197/

PCB levels in East Coast Striped Bass and Bluefish (2008) Interstate Workgroup on Evaluating Atlantic Coastal Advisories for Recreationally Caught Striped Bass and Bluefish based on PCBs - 10/1/2008: www.maine.gov/dhhs/mecdc/environmental-health/eohp/fish/documents/9-08final.pdf Older but comprehensive report of PCB levels found in striped bass along the east coast. This paper is the source of the graph comparing Hudson River striped bass PCB levels to other east coast striped bass on page 4 of this packet. There is a discussion of (older) PCB levels in different protein sources (comparing meat and fish) found on pp 162-168 of the linked pdf.

Temporal Trends and History of PCBs in Hudson River Fish Of Time, PCBs and the Fish of the Hudson River: NYS DEC, Divison of Fish, Wildlife and Marine Resources, 2005. Also includes information about fillet and lab procedures in Appendix 1. https://www.dec.ny.gov/docs/remediation_hudson_pdf/hrpcbtrendrpt.pdf

2/2020