Report on Fish Contamination

Last month’s release of the long-awaited fish contamination study by Cal-EPA answered many of the public’s questions about the safety of eating Santa Monica Bay, Los Angeles Harbor, Long Beach Harbor and Orange County fish. Although the study was excellent science and contained numerous practical recommendations for the public to reduce their cancer risk from eating contaminated fish, the final report was nearly three years overdue. Because of the lengthy delays in releasing the report, the public continued to eat locally caught fish without knowing if it was safe to eat. Fortunately, most of the fish species caught in the area were relatively free from hazardous levels of contaminants.

Based on the results of the study, it is obvious that commercial fishing for white croaker should be banned off of Los Angeles and Long Beach harbors and off of Malibu. The irresponsible ocean DDT and PCB disposal practices of previous decades continue to haunt all of us that use the bay’s resources. Currently, the California Department of Fish and Game ban only includes a small area off Palos Verdes despite the fact that white croaker is contaminated in the local harbors and throughout the bay.

Cal-EPA’s recommendations, if implemented, protect most of the people who eat local fish. Heal the Bay’s greatest fear is that the report will sit on a shelf somewhere instead of the state quickly acting on the study’s numerous recommendations for reducing health risks. Another major concern is that subsistence fishers who eat three or more meals per week have a substantially higher cancer risk and are not adequately protected by Cal-EPA’s recommendations. The Santa Monica Bay Restoration Project is currently trying to get an estimate of how many people are in that high-risk category.

MARK GOLD

Staff Scientist

Heal the Bay

Santa Monica