Eating Fish from the Long Island Sound

[A Roj]

Hi all,

 

I am brand new to this forum but have been fishing for quite some time off the north shore of Long Island in the LI sound. I go out on my kayak and fish for snappers, so I was never really worried about contaminants as I followed the USFDA and NY Dept. of Health guidelines for eating fresh caught fish.

 

Just last summer I began spear fishing because I'm a young buck and need some more excitement when I am out in the water. I have caught some strippers just at 28 inches, but haven't eaten them due to my lack of knowledge on the level of PCB's and other contaminants in the fish, and how that would affect human health. I believe I would be ok, since I exercise and (try to) eat healthy.

 

I would like to hear some of your experiences and opinions on this matter. If there is any data and/or literature you can cite, that would be very helpful.

 

I hope that some younger folk can respond to this, and/or those who have a more formal understanding of chemistry and biology (like marine biologists). It would actually be great to provide chemical equations on PCB's interaction with other chemicals in the human body, and how that can affect health. This would greatly increase my understanding and make me feel more comfortable in making the decision on whether or not to eat fresh caught striper and blue fish from the LI sound.

 

Thanks!

 

 

[FEW3]

So you kill striper for giggles and not for the plate? 

[A Roj]

Here is a study by the CDC which answers my question in full:

 

https://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/HAC/pha/LongIslandSound/LongIslandSoundHC2-23-2009.pdf

 

Many store bought foods have PCB levels under 30 ppb (which is considered safe), while the fish samples in the LI sound in 2003 and 2007 have PCB levels between 200 and 700 ppb.

[Reed422]

17 mins ago, FEW3 said:

So you kill striper for giggles and not for the plate? 

hero pic and release

[VitaminDee]

4 mins ago, Reed422 said:

hero pic and release

after being speared?

[Reed422]

3 mins ago, VitaminDee said:

after being speared?

it's a minor flesh wound. It's laying face up to catch some rays. Nothing to see here.

[VitaminDee]

2 mins ago, Reed422 said:

it's a minor flesh wound. It's laying face up to catch some rays. Nothing to see here.

That white belly did need a tan after all.

[Livefreeordie]

Hg + PCBs > U

 

I never know who's trolling, but if you're spearing 28" stripers, and nobody's eating them, I feel you're acting selfishly.

[fishhappy]

I’m pretty sure the movie Toxic Avenger began with a man eating striped bass from the Long Island Sound.

[A Roj]

I practice sustainability by abiding by the DEC regulations for fish size and possession limits, which is 28-35'' and no more than one in possession (which amounts to no more than a few since, as I mentioned, I just recently began spearfishing). Also, spearing for stripers isn't a daily thing for me.

 

After I catch and fillet the fish, I check for "tainted" meat, and only really saw white meat. This was my exploratory field work. After I cut the striper, I give it to the cormorants and other shore birds, and toss the remainder back in the water to be "recycled" naturally. This is no different than you catching and eating it, except I feed it to the shore birds.

 

This is by far much more sustainable than what most people do, who catch many large stripers each summer, and then eat that PCB ridden meat. Almost zero sustainability in that, with the added risk of impacting your health.

 

By the way @FEW3, this is America, so you could do whatever you like with your caught fish as long as you abide by regulations, and I could do whatever I like with mine.

 

Thanks for those of you with sincere and good-humored comments!

For those of you who are just going to try to get on a moral high ground or espouse your ethical views, you could shove it.

 

Edited July 9, 2020 by A Roj
edit

[gellfex]

7 mins ago, fishhappy said:

I’m pretty sure the movie Toxic Avenger began with a man eating striped bass from the Long Island Sound.

They're the exact same fish you'd catch at the NJ Shore, Montauk or the Cape. They're Migratory.  Thinking your fish are different is delusional.  I'd love to find a lab that can actually test flesh for me and see what a fish from The Hudson or Newark Bay is really carrying.

[fishhappy]

9 mins ago, gellfex said:

They're the exact same fish you'd catch at the NJ Shore, Montauk or the Cape. They're Migratory.  Thinking your fish are different is delusional.  I'd love to find a lab that can actually test flesh for me and see what a fish from The Hudson or Newark Bay is really carrying.

Sometimes it’s just better to eat and not ask questions. 

[Wuwu888]

I think the fish you eat from the ocean is 10 times cleaner than anything you’ll buy or get from grocery store or restaurants. 

[z-man]

3 hours ago, A Roj said:

I practice sustainability by abiding by the DEC regulations for fish size and possession limits, which is 28-35'' and no more than one in possession (which amounts to no more than a few since, as I mentioned, I just recently began spearfishing). Also, spearing for stripers isn't a daily thing for me.

 

After I catch and fillet the fish, I check for "tainted" meat, and only really saw white meat. This was my exploratory field work. After I cut the striper, I give it to the cormorants and other shore birds, and toss the remainder back in the water to be "recycled" naturally. This is no different than you catching and eating it, except I feed it to the shore birds.

 

This is by far much more sustainable than what most people do, who catch many large stripers each summer, and then eat that PCB ridden meat. Almost zero sustainability in that, with the added risk of impacting your health.

 

By the way @FEW3, this is America, so you could do whatever you like with your caught fish as long as you abide by regulations, and I could do whatever I like with mine.

 

Thanks for those of you with sincere and good-humored comments!

For those of you who are just going to try to get on a moral high ground or espouse your ethical views, you could shove it.

 

You’re filleting a striper and then feeding it to the birds? I sure hope this is a joke. 

[Fishy4335]

3 hours ago, fishhappy said:

Sometimes it’s just better to eat and not ask questions. 

Tell that to the families who lost significant others to ingesting disinfectant!!