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Seafood Safety for Galveston Bay
Overview
Latest Advisory Information
Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs)
Dioxins
History of Seafood Safety on Galveston Bay
What the Estuary Program is Doing
What you can do
Overview
Galveston Bay is the state's largest estuarine source of seafood, and is one of the major oyster producing areas in the country. Commercial and recreational fishing represents a nearly three-billion-dollar per year industry. Molluscan shellfish (oysters, clams and mussels) and other seafood (crabs, shrimp, and finfish) harvested from Galveston Bay are consumed by millions of individuals. Maintenance of adequate public health standards within estuarine seafood is important for the protection of the general public, and is also critical for the long-term stability of the fishing industry.
Select species of fish and shellfish in some areas of Galveston Bay may pose a public health risk to subsistence or recreational-catch seafood consumers as a result of the presence of certain contaminants. The contaminants may be either chemicals or pathogens (disease-causing organisms). Determining what areas of the bay system contain contaminated seafood and advising the public on how to limit those risks are the responsibility of the Texas Department of State Health Services. This state agency (formerly the Texas Department of Health) takes seafood samples from water bodies throughout the state, sends the tissue to laboratories, and — based on the laboratory results — determines the degree of risk for consumption.
If contaminant concentrations exceed health assessment guidelines established by the State, and a risk characterization indicates an imminent health threat, (DSHS) will declare an area prohibited for the taking of affected species — making it illegal to fish or harvest in that area.
If a health threat exists, but frequent long-term consumption is required to cause the health effects, a Consumption Advisory is issued.
For spotted seatrout and gafttop catfish, DSHS recommends limiting consumption. For contaminated oysters, the DSHS will close or restrict the areas of harvesting.
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Latest Advisory Information
In July 2008, DSHS issued a new Fish and Shellfish Consumption Advisory for Galveston Bay, including Chocolate Bay, East Bay, West Bay, Trinity Bay and contiguous waters: ADV-35. The advisory recommends an adult consumption limit of Adults are advised to limit consumption of the two fish to no more than one 8-ounce meal a month. Women who are nursing, pregnant or who may become pregnant and children should not eat any catfish or spotted seatrout from these waters.
For more information about Advisory-35, click on the links below.
Texas Parks and Wildlife Department also includes information about the seafood advisories. For more information about the advisory and how it relates to recreational fishing, visit TPWD's Web site. Click here.
For help with a pdf file, click here.
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Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs)
PCBs are synthetic (man-made) mixtures of up to 209 individual chlorinated compounds (known as congeners). Many commercial PCB mixtures in the U.S. are known by the trade name Aroclor. PCBs are oily liquids or solids that are colorless to yellow. Some PCBs may also exist as a vapor in air. PCBs were once used commercially as coolants and lubricants in electrical transformers and capacitors, heavy-duty electrical equipment in power plants, industries, and large buildings across the country and other electrical equipment, carbonless copy papers, sealing and caulking compounds, paint additives, cutting oils, ballasts in fluorescent light fixtures, and hydraulic fluids. PCBs were valued for chemical stability and fire resistance.
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Dioxins
Dioxins are a group of synthetic organic chemicals that contain 210 structurally related individual polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs) and polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs). In pure form, dioxins are crystals or colorless solids. Dioxins are primarily produced as unintentional byproducts of chlorine bleaching in pulp and paper mills, municipal solid waste and industrial waste incineration, combustion of fossil fuels and wood, waste and drinking water chlorination, and as contaminants in the manufacture of certain organic chemicals. Dioxins are also natural products of forest fires and possibly other natural processes, but these sources are small compared to dioxins produced by human activity.
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History of Seafood Safety on Galveston Bay
There are four Seafood Advisories in Galveston Bay: ADV 3
(1990), ADV 20 (2001), ADV 28 (2005) and ADV 35 (2008).
The Galveston Bay Estuary Program, the
Texas Department of State Health Services, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and several partners initiated a
program in 1997 that provided the first complete and comprehensive
look at the safety of Galveston Bay seafood in 2001.
In 2003, the Estuary Program partnered with DSHS, to initiate the first phase of the five-year
program. The Upper
Houston Ship Channel and Upper Galveston Bay were selected for Phase
I since the existing dioxin advisory (ADV 3) for that area was 10
years old. The risk
assessment was completed in January 2005.
ADV 3 (1990) and ADV 20 (2001) remain in effect based on the results from Phase I of the five-year program (2003 study). On January 28, 2005, the DSHS issued a new fishing advisory, ADV 28. ADV 28 was issued for limited consumption of speckled trout due to the presence of elevated levels of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs).
For more information about the previous advisories in the Galveston Bay area, click on the links below:
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What the Estuary Program Is Doing
The Galveston Bay Estuary Program, with its state and federal partners, continues to collect and analyze data from the bay to determine if current advisories need to be expanded or if additional advisories are needed. The Estuary Program and the DSHS have notified the appropriate state and federal agencies, including the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality and the United States Environmental Protection Agency, so that they may begin seeking solutions to ADV 28. These agencies have already been working on identifying solutions to ADV 3, ADV 20 and ADV 35.
The Estuary Program also participates in the TCEQ’s Total Maximum Daily Load program. TMDLs are a regulatory tool for restoring impaired watersheds (those that do not meet federal water quality standards). Currently, there is a TMDL on the upper Houston Ship Channel for dioxin, which is also addressing PCBs.
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What You Can Do
- Be mindful of your health condition before consuming any
raw protein, including raw seafood.
- Respect advisory signs and report any damage to them. Harris County Precinct 2 has placed signs along the Houston Ship Channel to mark those areas covered by the DSHS advisory.
- Educate yourself and others about seafood contamination.
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