Risky Business: Evaluation of US Consumption Advisories for Freshwater Sport Fish

The number of advisories issued to limit consumption of contaminated freshwater fishes has grown exponentially in the United States in the past decade. More than 80% of extant fish consumption advisories (FCAs) are for mercury and polychlorinated biphenyls, both of which can impair fatal and early childhood development; women of child-bearing age and children constitute the most sensitive consumer group, and the most restrictive advisories target them. Most FCAs are issued by state health departments, with fisheries management agencies in supplementary roles. We conducted a literature review and interviewed public health and fisheries management personnel in six states to evaluate the interstate consistency of FCAs, methods and content of risk communication, and the effectiveness of these efforts in generating public awareness and influencing angler behavior. Fish consumption limits are largely based oil risk assessment inputs from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and U.S. Food and Drug Administration; the former are more conservative. States may employ risk management to balance socioeconomic costs versus health benefits in setting consumption limits. Among states in Our sample, contaminant concentrations that triggered issuance of FCAs varied by an order of magnitude, and the consumption limits were frequently complex. Consumption advisories are communicated to the public by Web site, press release, brochures, signage, and personal contact; anglers are also informed in their fishing regulations. Despite these efforts, awareness of FCAs by the general public are as low as 20-40%, even for the targeted women's group. The awareness level among licensed anglers as reported in several Surveys exceeded 50%, but compliance with the advised consumption limits was often much lower. Conversely, the fraction of risk-averse anglers who have ceased fishing entirely is unknown. Poor awareness and acceptance of FCAs may be due to the perception that health risks from fish consumption are low, as well as from the volume and complexity of the FCAs themselves. States should consider revision of their FCAs for consistency and simplicity and to communicate the probabilities of adverse health effects as a result of fish consumption relative to other foods and common behaviors. Fisheries management agencies can assume more active roles by communicating relative risks to anglers and by adopting strategies to reduce the availability of contaminated sport fish for harvest and consumption.