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Fish Consumption Advisory Frequently Asked Questions
What is this advisory about?
The Duval County Health Department is issuing a Fish Consumption Advisory for largemouth bass, blue tilapia, and striped mullet from Hogan Creek and Long Branch in Health Zone 1 of the City of Jacksonville. The advisory recommends that people should not eat largemouth bass, blue tilapia, and striped mullet from these creeks due to elevated levels of chemicals called polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and the pesticide dieldrin. Additional chemicals of concern found in the fish include polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), dioxins, and the pesticides: chlordane, heptachlor epoxide, and inorganic arsenic.
What is a Fish Consumption Advisory?
When elevated concentrations of chemicals are found in local fish and seafood then a state will often issue health advice to the public in the form of a fish consumption advisory. A fish consumption advisory may include recommendations to limit or avoid eating certain fish species caught from specific waterbodies. An advisory may be issued for the general population, or for specific groups such as recreational and subsistence fishers, or for sensitive subpopulations such as pregnant women, nursing mothers, and children. A consumption advisory is not a regulation, but rather a voluntary recommendation issued to inform people. By following these advisories, you can get the health benefits of eating fish and reduce unwanted contaminants.
Where is this fish consumption advisory in effect?
This fish consumption advisory applies to Hogan Creek and Long Branch which are tributaries to the St. Johns River in downtown Jacksonville.
How did the fish consumption advisory for Hogan Creek and Long Branch come about?
This fish consumption advisory is a result of collaborative efforts by the Duval County Health Department, Florida Department of Health, City of Jacksonville, Florida Department of Environmental Protection and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Residents of downtown Jacksonville requested that the agencies answer the question “are the fish from these creeks safe to eat?” Fish tissue samples were taken and analyzed by EPA and the results were provided to the Florida Department of Health (DOH) for review. The Florida Department of Health and the Duval County Health Department have determined that a fish consumption advisory is appropriate.
What should I do if I consumed these species recently?
None of the fish in Hogan Creek and Long Branch are contaminated enough to cause harm after a single or a few meals. The health risk comes from eating contaminated fish often and regularly over a very long period of time from these select water bodies. Advisories are issued for very low levels in fish to insure the safety of individuals consuming fish. Most of these chemicals will be eliminated from your body over time once the source has stopped.
Where did these chemicals come from?
No particular individual source of these chemicals is suspected. These chemicals are often found dispersed at trace levels throughout the environment from historic human activities. The insecticides dieldrin, chlordane and heptachlor are extremely persistent and currently banned pesticides used decades ago to control termites, mosquitoes, houseflies and other pests across urban and rural communities. When sprayed, heptachlor turns into heptachlor epoxide.
Arsenic is a natural chemical metal that occurs in many minerals and is used in industry as well as found in herbicides and insecticides. Historically, arsenic compounds were used to make pressure treated lumber and applied to soil to control termites and other insects. Some parts of the world, including the southwestern U.S. and south Asia have naturally occurring arsenic in groundwater sources of drinking water which can be a health concern.
PCBs, PAHs and dioxin are chemicals often found associated with historic industrial and development activity including road construction and maintenance and electrical transformers. Like the pesticides these chemicals are also extremely persistent in the environment and found widespread in low levels in urban communities.
How did these chemicals get into the fish?
Once chemicals such as these enter the environment they are carried by ground water and rain water into lakes and streams. The chemicals are then absorbed by plants and bacteria found in creek sediments. The chemicals can then build up in tissues of insects and other small organisms as they graze on these plants and bacteria. When these insects are eaten by predators and these predators are, in turn, eaten by even larger predators, the chemical concentration increases every step, all the way up the "food chain" to "top predators" such as the largemouth bass. Concentrations of these chemicals in large, older fish can be many times those found in the insects at the bottom of the food chain.
Is it safe to swim in Hogan Creek and Long Branch?
No. Most of the creeks in downtown Jacksonville have been determined to be impaired for pathogens indicated by high levels of fecal coliform bacteria in the water. Swimming and playing in Hogan Creek and Long Branch and other area creeks is not recommended because of the risk of exposure to pathogens and resulting infection from contact with the water.
Has the lake or stream where I like to fish been sampled for contaminated fish?
Fish tissue sampling is very expensive. All waterbodies cannot possibly be sampled for all potential contaminants in all fish and shellfish. Sampled lakes and streams in Florida that have fish with unsafe levels are listed Florida Fish Consumption Advisory Web Page at http://www.doh.state.fl.us/floridafishadvice/. This website will be updated to include this particular consumption advisory for Hogan Creek and Long Branch.
What about fish from the grocery or restaurants?
This advisory covers only fish caught in Hogan Creek and Long Branch. Safety regulations and advisories for fish in the market place are the responsibility of the Federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. Most kinds of fish on the market are safe and the FDA encourages consumption of up to 12 ounces of fish per week. Based on national advisory information issued by FDA, the following species of fish could pose health problems for some individuals. Avoid these “top predators” kinds of fish if you are concerned about your exposure to chemical contaminants: Shark, Swordfish, King Mackerel, and Tilefish.
U.S. EPA and FDA recommend that women of childbearing age and children limit their intake of all fish, including canned tuna, to two to three meals per week (12 ounces of fish per week for an adult woman). For more information about FDA's fish consumption advice, see www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/admehg3.html.
The lake or stream where I fish seems dirty, but the fish have been sampled and there is no advisory. How can the lake seem dirty but the fish not have an advisory?
You cannot see, smell, or taste fish tissue contaminants at levels that can affect your health. Therefore, a lake can look dirty, yet the fish in it can be uncontaminated. A clean looking lake might have contaminated fish and require an advisory.
Some things that cause a lake to look dirty, such as sediment that makes the water look muddy, or bacteria and algae (microscopic plants) that can produce an odor, but do not contaminate fish tissue.
Do other states have this problem and have advisories?
Yes. Fish Consumption Advisories of this type and others have been issued in places across the country and the world. Click here for more on Fish Consumption Advisories across the U.S.
Duval County Health Department
900 University Blvd. N.
Jacksonville, FL 32211
253-1000
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