NEWS FLASH
03/23/2000 2:29 PM

King Mackerel Consumption Advisory Issued

At 10:00 AM on Thursday, March 23, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida joined together to issue a joint health advisory concerning high levels of mercury in large king mackerel. The advisory is the result of almost 2 years of tissue sampling. The health officials say that king mackerel, of greater than 33 inches in length (fork length), contain unacceptable levels of mercury.

The actual advisory, as issued, recommends not eating king mackerel of 39 inches (fork length) or longer and restricting the intake of king mackerel between 33 and 39 inches. For the adult population, this restriction is advised to include no more than 4, 8-ounce portions a month. For pregnant women, or children under 12, the restriction is advised to include no more than 1, 8-ounce portion a month. The findings showed king mackerel of less than 33 inches (fork length), to be below accepted mercury levels and fine for unlimited consumption.

THIS IS A CONSUMPTION ADVISORY ONLY. Currently, no fishing regulations have been altered. The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council and each state’s Marine Fishery Regulatory Board will be meeting, in the near future, to determine if any additional fisheries regulations are needed.

Let me repeat, THIS IS A CONSUMPTION ADVISORY ONLY-----NO FISHING REGULATIONS HAVE BEEN CHANGED.

NC officials have scheduled two meetings to discuss the advisory:

March 29, 6:30 PM, Crystal Coast Civic Center, Morehead City

March 30, 6:30 PM, S001 Auditorium, Cape Fear Community College, Wilmington

Capt. Jerry Dilsaver

3/11/2000 Source: Carteret County Times (on-line edition)

State considering potential hazards of eating king mackerel tainted by Mercury By Brad Rich Staff Writer State Division of Marine Fisheries and Department of Health and Human Services officials will decide in the next month or so whether to issue a warning or advisory about possible health hazards from eating large king mackerel contaminated with Mercury. Debbie Crane, spokesman for the health department, said Thursday that the agency asked for tests of king mackerel in North Carolina waters after officials in Gulf Coast states found potentially harmful levels of the toxic heavy metal in mackerel caught in their waters. Ms. Crane emphasized that there is no urgent need for a health warning, since relatively few king mackerel are in North Carolina waters now and commercial and recre© ational watermen won't begin fishing for them seriously until about May. Another reason for the delay is the heavy workload. State epidemiologists have been busy dealing with public-health problems from last year's hurricanes and flooding and possible toxic air emissions from a company in Stanly County, she said. Still, Ms. Crane said, the state samples did confirm the findings of the samples taken in the Gulf Coast waters, and there is reason for concern. ``One-third of the (112) samples that were taken (in the past year) had levels of Mercury above the limit'' considered safe for human consumption, she said. ``That's statistically pretty strong.'' A report on the tissue samples analyzed by the state Division of Water Quality showed that Mercury levels increased with the size of the fish. King mackerel that were about 37 inches long and weighed about 13 pounds consistently exceeded the state Mercury limit of 1 part per million, the report said, and the largest fish had levels that were two and three times the limit. Ms. Crane said officials hope to decide before May whether the situation warrants a health warning. She said no one knows for sure why the fish have become contaminated with Mercury, but added that there is serious speculation that the toxic heavy metal enters the water as acid rain, caused in part by emissions from power plants and other industries as far away as the midwestern United States. The state has long posted health advisories about Mercury contamination of some fish in the Waccamaw River in the extreme southeast part of North Carolina and in lakes in Moore County, Ms. Crane said. The current thinking, she added, is that the contamination levels are compounded in larger fish because they eat small fish which are already contaminated. Chronic long-term exposure to Mercury in fish tissue can harm a person's central nervous system, and in severe cases can irreversibly damage areas of the brain. Studies have shown that infants born to women who ate high levels of Mercury had a higher incidence of mental retardation, visual problems and cerebral palsy. In the Gulf Coast states, Ms. Crane said, health directors can make recommendations but can't stop people from catching fish. As a result, the health directors in those states warned people not to eat fish below a particular size, and fisheries commissions in those states followed up by making it illegal to catch those fish. If North Carolina officials determine that the Mercury in the fish poses a health hazard, a similar process could take place here. The state health director could ask people to limit their consumption of king mackerel or avoid eating large fish. And based on that health advisory, the N.C. Marine Fisheries Commission, policy-making arm of the state Division of Marine Fisheries, could adopt rules, either temporary or permanent, to make it illegal to catch king mackerel below a certain size in state waters.

March 2, 2000 Wildlife Resources Commission Enacts Gill Net Ban

GoFishNC received news today that the NC Wildlife Resources Commission had voted to ban gill nets from inland waters in districts 1 and 2 which includes 25 North Carolina coastal counties. GoFishNC contacted the director's office office today and spoke to Bob Curry to verify the report. Mr. Curry said that the gill net ban would go into effect on July 1, 2001. The commission cited the high numbers of fish caught by the nets that were targeted for restoration efforts. Public hearings also produced overwhelming support for the ban according to the commission.