Fish Consumption Rates Matter
The Washington Department of Ecology is revising fish consumption rates. This is a big deal. The amount of fish and shellfish we eat (our fish consumption rate) is used to determine how “clean is clean” for water quality standards and sediment cleanups . The more fish we are assumed to eat, the cleaner our sediment and water will be – because higher standards will have to be met.
Background
Fish from Puget Sound and from the ocean contain toxic chemicals. Some of the chemicals are from historic pollution problems that we are working to clean up – sites where toxic chemicals have accumulated in the mud in urban bays and other enclosed bays from old industrial activities. In addition, toxic chemicals are continuing to enter our creeks, rivers, lakes and Sound through wastewater discharges and through stormwater.
The standards for toxic cleanups and the standards for water quality are based on a number of factors, including fish consumption rate. That is because when humans eat fish, the small amounts of toxic chemicals in those fish add up over time. These chemicals, such as PCBs, DDT, flame retardants, mercury and dioxin are persistent chemicals that accumulate in fish and other wildlife and biomagnify up the food chain. This is why orcas have such high levels of toxic chemicals – they are at the top of the food chain. We humans are also at the top of the food chain.
The rates
The fish consumption rates that Ecology uses are out of date. These rates date from the 1980s and 1990s and do not reflect what we now know about how much fish people in Washington eat. Recent dietary intake surveys indicate that Washington residents likely consume fish and shellfish at rates higher than the rates currently used.
Right now, in Washington, the amount of fish consumed as a daily average is assumed to be 6.5 grams as a default number that is used set water quality standards. Here is a photo of how much fish that is per day. It is about a bite size:
For sediment cleanup standards, the number is a little better – 54 grams per day on average:
You may not like fish or eat it often, but there are many people in our state who do, notably tribes for whom fish is a major part of the cultural tradition and low income residents for whom fish is a free source of daily protein (subsistence fishers). These default rates shown above are significantly lower than the amounts that these populations eat. People who just eat one meal of fish a week are generally eating much more than an average of 6.5 grams per day (essentially one bite) on average.
This table, from Ecology’s report shows the 90th and 95th percentile fish consumption rates (highlighted in yellow) from recent dietary surveys are much higher than the current rates used in Washington:
New rates
Ecology is updating the fish consumption rate which should take into consideration populations who do eat fish at higher rates, such as tribes and subsistence fishers.
The rates they are considering range from 157 to 267 grams/day (on average) which more accurately reflect the dietary surveys. People For Puget Sound supports the higher number (267 gm/day):
To learn more about Ecology’s fish consumption rate update here.
For more information email Heather Trim, Policy Director.
