Maury River added to consumption advisory list

By: Michael Patterson

Posted: 1/26/05

Virginia wildlife officials, water quality experts and local anglers are surprised and dismayed to see the Maury River on the Virginia Health Department's (VDH) fish consumption advisory list.

The Maury, whose clear waters and scenic surroundings attract fisherman, kayakers and tubers from across the state, is one of 27 new fisheries in Virginia to receive an advisory since December.

VDH issued the new advisories after changing the state's guidelines for polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) consumption. The new PCB advisory level is 12 times lower than before. As a result of the stricter standard, Yellow Bullhead Catfish, Redbreast Sunfish and Rock Bass from the Maury have all been added to the advisory list. VDH recommends eating these species no more than twice per month.

The new advisory level is VDH's response to recent changes in PCB regulations by North Carolina and Maryland.

According to VDH, "Virginia shares water bodies with both states and the new guidelines provide more consistent advice to regional fishers."

Maury fishermen have good reason to be concerned about the new advisory. When PCBs are introduced into a river like the Maury, they build up in the fatty tissue of local fish populations. Anglers who eat contaminated fish can be exposed to numerous health problems, including an increased risk of cancer.

Expecting mothers need to be especially cautious about eating polluted fish. PCBs can damage the reproductive system, immune system and nervous system of unborn fetuses.

The U.S. outlawed PCB production in 1979. But because they take decades to decompose, PCBs still cause environmental and human health problems today.

The health concerns associated with PCB pollution are serious, but Alex Barron, project manager of the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality's (DEQ) fish tissue monitoring program, says anglers should not be overly worried about the new advisory.

"The department of health is erring on the side of caution-as they should-but the added risk of getting cancer from eating fish from the Maury is very, very small," he said.

Barron was surprised to find PCBs in the Maury, which he calls "one of the prettiest rivers in the area."

He says there have been no extensive attempts to identify the source of the pollution, but he thinks old electrical transformers, which used PCBs for insulation, are the prime suspect.

"We are going to try to get back to the Maury sometime this year and do some more sampling," he said, "That way we might be able to get a better picture of what's going on."

Some state officials want VDH and DEQ to perform more extensive sampling before they issue consumption advisories.

Paul Bugas, a fisheries biologist at the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries, was shocked to discover the Maury on the VDH advisory list.

"The whole thing popped up out of the blue," he said, "PCBs historically have not been an issue."

Bugas has taken issue with DEQ's sampling techniques on the Maury.

"I question their sample size for the fish they tested. Usually, you need to sample a range of species and sizes from several sites along the river," Bugas said, "I can't imagine them posting an advisory on just a few fish."

DEQ takes samples from only one site on the Maury, and was unable to analyze samples for smallmouth bass-the most popular game fish on the river. According to DEQ, the smallmouth samples were lost at the lab.

Bugas understands that the department of health must be cautious about PCBs, but he wonders if the new warnings are doing more harm than good.

"It's tough to deal with, because you want to encourage people to get out there and enjoy the fishery. But that's hard to do with all of these advisories."

Virginia's new PCB advisory levels are extremely stringent compared to current national levels. The Food and Drug Administration advisory level for commercial fisheries-the ones that supply restaurants and grocery stores-is 40 times higher than the new VDH warning level.

"PCB levels in the Maury are not astronomically high by any means. You could be buying fish in the supermarket that have significantly more PCBs, and the FDA won't even raise an eyebrow," admitted Barron.

Fish from the Maury might be safer to eat than those found in the local grocer's freezer, but most anglers don't make that comparison.

James Ruley-a Rockbridge County resident-says he fishes the Maury more than anyone in the area, but refuses to eat what he catches.

"I've never eaten fish out of that river," he said, "It's nasty."

Ben Bradenham is a Washington and Lee student who fishes the Maury three to four times a month. He says that he will continue to eat fish out of the river, but the new PCB warning will make him more cautious.

"I don't think it'll change how I fish the river too much, but it will definitely be in the back of my mind."