Stretch of beach at Gordons Pond in Cape Henlopen State Park will close starting Monday, June 13 to safeguard first nest of piping plovers found there this season

LEWES – The first piping plover nest of the season at Cape Henlopen State Park’s Gordons Pond has been discovered by DNREC beach-nesting bird monitors Kevin Bronson and Taylor Klecan, according to their supervisor, Division of Fish & Wildlife biologist Matthew Bailey with DNREC’s Species Conservation and Research Program.

“The news is especially exciting this year because the storms that hit the beaches over the winter carved out lots of new plover habitat at Gordons Pond,” Bailey said. “This may lead to greater nesting success both this year and in coming years.”

To minimize disturbances to the tiny endangered shorebirds, a half-mile stretch of beach between the Observation Towers and the Herring Point dune crossover will be closed to the public beginning Monday, June 13 – with signs, twine and PVC stakes to mark the area.

“Closing off plover nesting areas is an established protocol every year at Cape Henlopen, and this closing is in the typical area that beachgoers are accustomed to,” said Bailey, who serves as coordinator of the Division of Fish & Wildlife’s Piping Plover Protection Program. “The area will remain closed until the last of our plover chicks are fledged, usually in late August.”

For more information on piping plovers and DNREC volunteer opportunities for monitoring them, please contact Matt Bailey, Division of Fish & Wildlife, at 302-382-4151 or email matthew.bailey@delaware.gov.

About the piping plover
The piping plover was listed as threatened under the federal Endangered Species Act (ESA) in 1986, and the Division of Fish and Wildlife is responsible for its protection in Delaware. Under a binding agreement and species management plan that DNREC made in 1990 with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) – the federal agency with oversight of this ESA-protected species – piping plover nesting areas at Cape Henlopen State Park are closed annually to the public to protect the shorebirds from disturbance during their nesting season from March into September. The closure, which includes the Point and smaller areas around Gordons Pond and with both feeding habitat and nesting areas protected, has been successful, increasing the number of piping plover nesting pairs from a low of two pairs to a high of nine pairs. Piping plovers feed on small invertebrates that inhabit the intertidal zone near their nesting territories. Chicks are not fed by their parents, but rather are led to the shoreline to forage while the adults keep watch for potential threats. Allowing pedestrian traffic in the intertidal zone adjoining nesting areas would disturb the vital link between nesting and foraging habitat, and risks adverse stress or mortality to the chicks.

Media Contacts: Joanna Wilson or Beth Shockley, DNREC Public Affairs, 302-739-9902

Vol. 46, No. 215


Public asked to report sick or dead wild birds to DNREC’s Mosquito Control Section for 2016 West Nile virus monitoring

DOVER – DNREC’s Division of Fish & Wildlife Mosquito Control Section is again asking for the public’s help in monitoring West Nile virus in Delaware by reporting the discovery of sick or dead wild birds that may have contracted the virus. West Nile virus (WNV) is a mosquito-borne disease of concern to human health and to owners of unvaccinated horses.

Beginning today, the Mosquito Control Section requests that the public report sick or dead birds of the following species only: crows, blue jays, cardinals, robins, hawks or owls, plus clusters of five or more sick or dead wild birds of any species. Bird specimens should have been dead for less than 24 hours and not appear to have died or been killed by other obvious causes.

“We are interested in when and where West Nile virus might first appear in Delaware this year and in monitoring the timing and locations of its possible spread throughout the state,” said Dr. William Meredith, Delaware Mosquito Control administrator. “Our sampling strategy this year will be to collect and test a sample of wild birds found throughout the state from early June to late September.”

Birds collected by Mosquito Control are processed by the Delaware Department of Agriculture’s Poultry & Animal Health Lab, and are then submitted to the Delaware Division of Public Health (DPH) Laboratory for virus testing. From early July through mid- to late October, Mosquito Control also will operate its statewide network of about 20 sentinel chicken stations placed in prime mosquito areas, which “keep watch” for WNV and eastern equine encephalitis (EEE), another mosquito-borne viral disease that affects horses and humans. The DPH lab tests blood samples from the sentinel chickens for both viruses to help indicate where WNV or EEE has been transmitted by mosquitoes from wild bird hosts to other animals, possibly leading to an increased risk of exposure for humans or horses.

“The prevalence of prime mosquito production habitats in Delaware, combined with our high human population density, presents quite a challenge, but our effective approach to controlling mosquitoes has helped reduce the frequency of West Nile virus transmission and prevent large outbreaks,” Dr. Meredith said.

In 2015, two mosquito-related human cases of WNV were reported in Delaware, neither of them fatal. No human cases of WNV were reported in 2014, although three cases occurred in 2013 with no fatalities. A resurgence in Delaware as well as the rest of the country occurred in 2012, when there were nine human cases and one fatality in the state. WNV is transmitted to humans primarily by the common house mosquito, and possibly by Asian tiger mosquitoes. The disease first appeared in Delaware in 2001, with a peak year in 2003, which saw 17 reported human cases and two human fatalities, as well as six WNV-stricken horses. From 2004 through 2011, WNV numbers were lower in Delaware. Only one human case of WNV was reported in 2011.

In 2015, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) nationwide figures show 2,060 reported human cases of West Nile virus resulting in 119 deaths, with the most cases occurring in descending order in California, Texas, Colorado, Arizona, Oklahoma and Illinois. Regionally, 52 WNV human cases were reported in New York during 2015 with one death, 45 cases occurred in Maryland with five deaths, 30 in Pennsylvania with one death, 25 in New Jersey with two deaths, 21 in Virginia with one death and four with no deaths in the District of Columbia.

Due to complicated environmental reasons, wild birds are considered better indicators of WNV early in the season from May through July than Mosquito Control’s sentinel chickens, which become better indicators later, from August through October. Weather conditions could also impact this year’s West Nile numbers, whether found in wild birds, sentinel chickens or mosquitoes themselves, as outbreaks can be more severe during abnormally hot years, with 2012 a good example. Within any given year, regardless of total numbers of cases, the period of greatest concern for disease transmission is in late summer and early fall, Dr. Meredith said.

Zika and chikungunya viruses are two other mosquito-borne diseases currently found in South and Central America and the Caribbean, and there is some concern about these viruses possibly occurring in local mosquito populations in southern and Mid-Atlantic areas of the U.S., including Delaware. Neither of these two viruses involves wild birds as hosts, but rather are transmitted by mosquitoes person-to-person, so monitoring wild bird populations or sentinel chickens would not be an effective means of detecting these viruses in local mosquitoes. For further information on preventing Zika visit: http://dhss.delaware.gov/dhss/dph/zika.html

Dr. Meredith also noted that there is no cause for alarm that uncollected specimens might transmit WNV to humans, or to pets that come in contact with a sick or dead bird. Should the public encounter dead birds, they can be left to decompose in place or they can be buried or bagged and disposed of in the garbage. When disposing of any dead bird, he advises avoiding direct skin contact by wearing gloves and/or by using a shovel.

Sick or dead birds can be reported to the Mosquito Control Section between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m., Monday through Friday, by calling Mosquito Control’s field offices:

  • New Castle County and northern Kent County from Dover north, call Mosquito Control’s Glasgow office at 302-836-2555
  • Remainder of southern Kent County and all of Sussex County, call Mosquito Control’s Milford office at 302-422-1512

Callers to Mosquito Control field offices after business hours or during weekends or holidays can leave voicemail. Callers should give their name, phone number, address and leave a brief message. However, the public should be aware that some calls left more than 24 hours before Mosquito Control can review them – typically involving times between Friday evening and Sunday morning when staff might not be present – may result in birds becoming too deteriorated for virus testing.

The phone numbers above may also be used to report intolerable numbers of biting mosquitoes to help the Mosquito Control Section determine when and where to provide control services. For more information on Delaware’s Mosquito Control program, please call the main office at 302-739-9917, or click Delaware Mosquito Control.

For more information about West Nile virus in humans, please contact the Delaware Division of Public Health at 302-744-1033 or 888-295-5156. For more information about West Nile virus in horses, eastern equine encephalitis or vaccines, please contact the State Veterinarian at the Delaware Department of Agriculture at 800-282-8685 (Delaware only) or 302-698-4500.

DNREC’s Mosquito Control Section provides statewide services to about 945,000 Delaware residents and 7.5 million visitors annually to maintain quality of life and protect public health by reducing the possibility of mosquito-borne illnesses such as West Nile virus, eastern equine encephalitis, chikungunya and Zika virus. Throughout the warmer months, Mosquito Control monitors and treats mosquito populations that emerge from wetland areas throughout the state, including ditches, stormwater ponds, wet woodlands and coastal salt marshes, using EPA-registered insecticides. These insecticides have been determined by EPA to pose no unreasonable risk to human health, wildlife or the environment when professionally applied. The Section also works year-round on water and marsh management projects designed to reduce mosquito populations, and provides the public with information on dealing with mosquitoes, from reducing backyard mosquito production to avoiding mosquito bites. For more information, call 302-739-9917 or visit http://de.gov/mosquito.

Media Contact: Joanna Wilson, DNREC Public Affairs, 302-739-9902.

Vol. 46, No. 214


Fish & Wildlife Natural Resources Police Blotter: May 30-June 5

Reminder for the week: Commercial horseshoe crab harvest occurring now

DOVER – To achieve public compliance through education and enforcement actions that help conserve Delaware’s fish and wildlife resources and ensure safe boating and public safety, DNREC’s Division of Fish & Wildlife Natural Resources Police officers between May 30-June 5 made 2,677 contacts with anglers, boaters and the general public, including 112 vessel boardings for boating safety and fishing regulation compliance checks. Officers responded to 27 complaints and issued 321 citations, one of which was related to the C&D Canal Conservation Area and associated recreational trail, where there is an increased Fish & Wildlife Natural Resources Police presence.

Citations issued by category, with the number of charges in parentheses, included:

Fisheries Conservation: Recreational: Unlicensed fishing (8)*, possession of undersized blue crab (1), and possession of undersized white perch (1).

Commercial: Possession of undersized knobbed conch (289), possession of unlawfully taken fish (4), and unlawful method of take for summer flounder/dredging (4), and no commercial license in possession (1).

Boating and Boating Safety: Operating a vessel with insufficient number of life jackets (1), failure to observe slow-no-wake zone (1), and operating an unregistered vessel (1).

Public Safety: Possession of a deadly weapon by a person prohibited (1), possession of ammunition by a person prohibited (1), possession of a deadly weapon during commission of a felony (1), carrying a concealed deadly instrument (1), possession of heroin (2), possession of drug paraphernalia (2), hindering prosecution (1), and failure to stop at a red light (1).

* Citation issued at the C&D Canal Conservation Area: no fishing license (1).

Two DNREC press releases were issued related to this week’s citations:

Fish & Wildlife Natural Resources Police News, Training and Outreach
On June 4, Fish & Wildlife Natural Resources Police held their 30th annual Youth Fishing Tournament with more than 170 children attending the event, which was held at Lums Pond in New Castle County, Wyoming Pond in Kent County and Ingrams Pond in Sussex County. The tournament is held annually on Free Fishing Weekend to encourage children to get outdoors and learn about fishing and to teach conservation through catch-and-release fishing practices.

Are you AWARE?
Fish & Wildlife Natural Resources Police remind visitors to central Bayshore beaches that they may see horseshoe crabs being legally harvested by commercial watermen now through the end of July. Delaware’s hand harvest of horseshoe crabs is permitted annually on weekdays from June 8 through July 31, or until Delaware’s annual quota is reached.

To harvest horseshoe crabs in Delaware, licensed commercial watermen must obtain a permit from the Division of Fish & Wildlife. Delaware adheres to the annual harvest limit set by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC), under the Commission’s Interstate Fishery Management Plan for Horseshoe Crabs. Harvest of male crabs is permitted only from the public beach at Port Mahon east of Dover and from private beaches with permission of the property owner; no harvest of female crabs is permitted at any time.

Delaware fisheries regulations require commercial watermen to report their horseshoe crab harvest within 24 hours; failure to do so results in a fine and possible suspension of their harvest permit until the report is submitted. The Division of Fish & Wildlife’s Fisheries Section monitors horseshoe crab harvest numbers until ASMFC’s annual quota is reached – this year, 162,136 male crabs – at which time the season closes. If the quota is not reached by July 31, a limited number of dredging permits for taking horseshoe crabs may be issued to commercial watermen.

Horseshoe crabs are harvested in Delaware for use as bait in the whelk (conch) and American eel commercial fisheries. Their copper-based blood also plays a key role in pharmaceutical testing. Through quotas, seasonal/area closures, widespread use of alternative baits and bait-saving devices and other conservation measures, bait landings in Delaware have been reduced.

Horseshoe crabs are vital to the ecology of the Delaware Bay, with visiting migratory shorebirds relying on horseshoe crab eggs to fuel their long distance migrations. The horseshoe crab harvest season opens after the shorebirds’ departure for their Arctic breeding grounds.

DNREC’s Division of Fish & Wildlife recognizes and thanks the majority of anglers, hunters and boaters who comply with and support Delaware’s fishing, hunting and boating laws and regulations. Citizens are encouraged to report fish, wildlife and boating violations to the Delaware Fish & Wildlife Natural Resources Police by calling 302-739-4580. Wildlife violations may also be reported anonymously to Operation Game Theft by calling 800-292-3030 or online at http://de.gov/ogt.

Media Contacts: Sgt. John McDerby, DNREC Division of Fish & Wildlife Natural Resources Police, 302-739-9913 or 302-354-1386, or Joanna Wilson, DNREC Public Affairs, 302-739-9902

Vol. 46, No. 213


Commercial waterman faces charges for fishing violations including possession of numerous undersized conch

LEWES – DNREC Division of Fish & Wildlife Natural Resources Police arrested a commercial waterman June 3 for nearly 300 fishing violations, most of them for illegal take of knobbed conch after boarding his vessel for a no-wake violation near the Lewes Public Boat Ramp on May 31.

Shawn P. Moore, 40, of Georgetown, was charged with 289 counts of possession of undersized knobbed conch measuring less than the legal size limit of 5 inches in length, plus four counts of unlawful method of take for summer flounder, four counts of possession of unlawfully taken fish, and one count each of no commercial license in possession while fishing and failure to observe a slow-no-wake zone. Moore pled not guilty to all charges at Justice of the Peace Court 3 in Georgetown and was released on a $15,400 unsecured bond pending a later appearance in the Sussex County Court of Common Pleas.

Moore was previously convicted of 30 counts of possession of undersized knobbed conch in 2015, making the current undersize conch charges as enumerated above second offenses and environmental misdemeanors carrying fines of up to $500 per charge if found guilty.

Knobbed conch, also known as whelk, are Delaware’s fourth largest commercial fishery, with recent harvests estimated around 500,000 pounds annually. Most are exported to the European or Asian market and used to make fritters, chowders and salads. Commercial size limits are five inches in length or three inches in width at the whorl. Commercial watermen are permitted to possess five undersized conch by incidental catch per 60 pounds. About 90 percent are harvested by dredging, with dredge season from January 15 through June 15. Channeled whelk also are harvested in Delaware, typically by pot. Egg cases of both species, consisting of long, light tan-colored chains of compartments about nickel- to quarter-size, are a common find along Delaware’s beaches.

DNREC’s Division of Fish & Wildlife recognizes and thanks the majority of anglers, hunters and boaters who comply with and support Delaware’s fishing, hunting and boating laws and regulations. Citizens are encouraged to report fish, wildlife and boating violations to the Delaware Fish & Wildlife Natural Resources Police by calling 302-739-4580. Wildlife violations may also be reported anonymously to Operation Game Theft by calling 800-292-3030 or online at http://de.gov/ogt.

Media Contacts: Sgt. John McDerby, Division of Fish & Wildlife Natural Resources Police, 302-739-9913 or 302-354-1386, or Joanna Wilson, DNREC Public Affairs, 302-739-9902

Vol. 46, No. 212


DNREC, DHSS issue new fish consumption advisories reflecting significant improvements in New Castle County

DOVER –Updated consumption advisories for fish caught in Delaware waterways show some of the most significant improvements in fish tissue contaminant concentrations since the state began assessing contaminants in fish in 1986, the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC) and the Department of Health and Social Services’ Division of Public Health (DHSS/DPH) announced today. Fish consumption advisories are recommendations to limit or avoid eating certain fish caught in local waters that alert people to the potential health risks of eating contaminated fish. The latest advisories come from recent data collected and analyzed from fish caught in New Castle County waterways.

“Overall, the updated advisories are good news for an area of our state that has historically been challenged by the impacts of legacy contaminants,” said DNREC Secretary David Small. “The improvements we’re seeing indicate that collaborative efforts among state, federal, local, and industry partners to address contaminants, along with DNREC’s innovative toxics assessment and restoration projects, are making a difference. This progress is also the result of significant investments in wastewater and stormwater infrastructure and cleanup technologies. If we are to achieve our goal to accelerate the cleanup of remaining contaminants and restore our waterways in the shortest time possible, we will need the technical and financial resources to make that happen.”

Less restrictive advisories were issued for seven waterways – the tidal and non-tidal Christina River, Little Mill Creek, tidal Brandywine River, tidal White Clay Creek, and upstream and downstream portions of Shellpot Creek – a result of long-term improvements in reducing contaminants in fish caught in these waterways. A more restrictive advisory was issued for Red Clay Creek due to higher levels of some contaminants, while the advisories for two waterways, the non-tidal Brandywine River and non-tidal White Clay Creek, were unchanged and remain the same as for 2015.

“I applaud DNREC’s continuing efforts to clean up our state’s waterways, which, in turn, reduces the restrictions on fish consumption,” said DHSS Secretary Rita Landgraf. “The Division of Public Health would like to remind everyone that consuming fish is an important part of a healthy diet because they contain high-quality proteins along with other essential nutrients, are low in saturated fat, and contain omega-3 fatty acids. This updated advice will help all of us make informed healthy decisions about the right amount and right kinds of fish that our families should eat from Delaware’s waterways.”

Many of the contaminants that prompt fish advisories in Delaware are “legacy pollutants” – chemicals, such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), the banned insecticide DDT, and dioxins and furans that were released into waterways in significant quantities in the past. These legacy pollutants are slow to break down in the environment and can accumulate in fish and in bottom sediments of lakes, streams and estuaries.

The improvements in consumption advisories are largely the result of declining PCB concentrations in fish. Tidal areas of the Christina and Brandywine Rivers and Shellpot Creek, historically some of the most contaminated areas in the state, have shown decreases of PCB concentrations of 50 to 60 percent in the last eight years. The reduction in PCB levels is attributed to several efforts, including state-of-the-science testing to identify, prioritize, and control remaining sources of contaminants and to innovative clean-up strategies, including adding activated carbon and quicklime to sediments that bind contaminants and limit their transfer to the water and fish. In addition, DNREC and its partners, including the Delaware River Basin Commission, New Castle County Special Services, the City of Wilmington, state environmental agencies in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, and industrial facilities, have been working cooperatively on strategies and projects that implement the Delaware Estuary total maximum daily load (TMDL) pollution limits, since first established in 2003.

The latest advisories encompass New Castle County waterways and include:

Tidal Christina River. The advisory for the Tidal Christina River between Smalley’s Dam (near Christiana) to the Delaware River was updated to less-restrictive advice that includes two areas:

  • Area upstream of the Peterson Wildlife Refuge to Smalleys Dam. Less restrictive advisory:
    The current advice of “eat no fish” caught from this area has been revised to “eat no more than 12 eight-ounce meals of fish per year.” The advice also applies to Nonesuch Creek, a tidal tributary of the Christina. This increase in allowable fish consumption is significant and can be attributed to improved water quality flowing from the non-tidal portion of the Christina River into the upper tidal portion of the River. PCBs are the primary contaminant of concern.
  • Area between the Peterson Wildlife Refuge downstream to where the Christina River empties into the Delaware River. Less restrictive advisory:
    For the general adult population, the current advice of “eat no fish” has been updated to “eat no more than one eight-ounce meal of fish per year.” The modest easing of the advice is largely attributed to falling concentrations of PCBs – approximately 50 percent from 2007 to 2015. The new advice for this area is consistent with the tidal Delaware River, into which the Christina River flows. Despite improvements in PCBs, they remain the primary contaminant of concern.

Non-Tidal Christina River. Less restrictive advisory:

The non-tidal Christina River runs from its headwaters north and west of Newark downstream to Smalleys Dam. The existing advice of “eat no more than six eight-ounce meals of fish” has been doubled to “eat no more than 12 meals per year.” The single contaminant of concern is Dieldrin, a chemical that was used in the past as an insecticide for termite control. PCBs and chlordane are no longer contaminants of concern.

Little Mill Creek. Less restrictive advisory:

A tributary of the Christina River, Little Mill Creek’s headwaters are in Greenville. The Creek flows southward through Elsmere, Canby Park, and the Peterson Wildlife Refuge and empties into the tidal Christina south of Wilmington.

The existing fish consumption advisory is to “eat no fish.” New data and assessment found that the current advice can be less stringent and has been revised to “eat one eight-ounce meal of fish per year.” The chemicals of concern include PCBs and chlorinated pesticides. Revising the advisory to “one meal per year” is consistent with the recommended advice for the lower reach of the tidal Christina into which the Little Mill Creek flows.

Tidal Brandywine River. Less restrictive advisory:

The Brandywine River is the largest tributary of the Christina River. The tidal Brandywine covers the area between Baynard Boulevard in Wilmington downstream to its confluence with the Christina River.

The existing fish consumption advisory is to “eat no fish.” The advice is being increased to “eat no more than two eight-ounce meals of fish per year.” The primary chemical of concern continues to be PCBs, however, PCB concentrations in fish have dropped significantly – approximately 59 percent from 2007 to 2015. The reduction is the result of steady cleanup efforts at the Amtrak former fueling facility in Wilmington and other projects. DNREC and the EPA are working with Amtrak on a plan to fully remediate the site, with the goal of further easing the fish advisory in the future.

Non-Tidal Brandywine. No change in existing advisory:

The non-tidal Brandywine runs from the Delaware/Pennsylvania state line to the head of tide near Baynard Boulevard in Wilmington. The data and assessment supports keeping the existing advice to “eat no more than six eight-ounce meals of fish per year.”

Tidal White Clay Creek. Less restrictive advisory:

The lower three miles of the White Clay Creek are tidal between the mouth of the creek and Route 4 in Stanton. Hershey Run, which has a history of contamination, flows into the tidal White Clay Creek. The advisory was updated from “eat no fish” to “eat no more than one eight-ounce meal of fish per year.” PCBs remain the primary contaminant of concern.

Non-Tidal White Clay Creek. No change in existing advisory:

The non-tidal White Clay Creek originates in Chester County, Pennsylvania and flows into Delaware north of the City of Newark. The existing advice of “eat no more than 12 eight-ounce meals of fish per year” is being retained and the primary contaminant continues to be PCBs.

Red Clay Creek. More restrictive advisory:

The Red Clay Creek, which has a long history of contamination in Pennsylvania and Delaware, flows into Delaware south of Kennett Square, Pa. and north of Yorklyn, Del. New data and assessment found that the recommended meal advice needs to be more stringent – from “eat no more than six meals per year” to “eat no more than three meals per year.” PCBs and dioxins and furans are retained as contaminants of concern and chlorinated pesticides added.

In recent years, fish caught near the Pennsylvania/Delaware state line have shown an increase in the concentration of the banned insecticide, DDT, and its breakdown products, suggesting the source or sources of this contamination may be in Pennsylvania. DNREC and environmental officials in Pennsylvania are working cooperatively to assess and control the contamination. Follow-up actions will include sampling areas for contamination to confirm that sources are being controlled.

Shellpot Creek. The headwaters of Shellpot Creek are located near Talleyville and its outlet is in the far eastern portion of Wilmington, just north of the Cherry Island landfill. The advisory was updated to less-restrictive advice that includes two areas:

  • Upstream of Governor Printz Boulevard. Less restrictive advisory:
    The current advice of “eat not more than one eight-ounce meal of fish per year” has been revised to “eat not more than two eight-ounce meals per year.” The contaminant of concern is Dieldrin and its presence in the creek upstream of Governor Printz Boulevard is likely the result of heavy usage of Dieldrin in the past, primarily as an insecticide to control termites.
  • Downstream of Governor Printz Boulevard. Less restrictive advisory:
    The current advice of “eat no fish” has been revised to “eat no more than one eight-ounce meal of fish per year.” Although PCBs continue to be the primary chemical of concern, concentrations of PCBs have dropped significantly in waters downstream of Governor Printz Boulevard, a result of less pollution entering the Creek and improvements in the Delaware River.

In addition to the advisories mentioned above, DNREC and DHSS remind the public of the general statewide fish consumption advisory issued in 2007:

  • Eat no more than one meal per week of any fish caught in Delaware’s fresh, estuarine and marine waters. This advisory applies to all waters and fish species not otherwise explicitly covered by an advisory.

The statewide advisory is issued in an abundance of caution to protect against eating large amounts of fish or fish that have not been tested, or that may contain unidentified chemical contaminants. Delaware issues more stringent advice for specific waters when justified by the data. One meal is defined as an eight-ounce serving for adults and a three-ounce serving for children.

People who choose to eat fish caught in Delaware waters in spite of the consumption advisories can take steps to reduce exposure. Contaminants tend to concentrate in the fatty tissue, so proper cleaning and cooking techniques can significantly reduce levels of PCBs, dioxins, chlorinated pesticides and other organic chemicals. Larger fish tend to have higher concentrations. To reduce the amount of chemical contaminants being consumed:

  • Remove all skin
  • Slice off fat belly meat along the bottom of the fish
  • Cut away any fat above the fish’s backbone
  • Cut away the V-shaped wedge of fat along the lateral line on each side of the fish
  • Bake or broil trimmed fish on a rack or grill so some of the remaining fat drips away
  • Discard any drippings; do not eat drippings or use them for cooking other foods.

However, consumers are cautioned that these techniques will not reduce or remove unsafe levels of mercury from fish.

A chart which shows all fish consumption advisories for Delaware waters, including the revised advisories issued today, can be found on DNREC’s web site. The revised advisories will be reflected in the 2017 Delaware Fishing Guide available at tackle shops and fishing license dealers.

For more information, contact Dr. Richard Greene, DNREC Division of Watershed Stewardship, 302-739-9939.

Visit the following U.S. government websites for information on federal fish consumption advisories, on mercury in fish and shellfish, and on how to safely select and serve fresh and frozen fish.

  • U.S. Environmental Protection Agency:
    www.epa.gov/ost/fish
  • U.S. Food and Drug Administration:
    http://www.fda.gov/food/resourcesforyou/consumers/ucm110591.htm
    http://www.fda.gov/Food/FoodborneIllnessContaminants/BuyStoreServeSafeFood/ucm077331.htm

Media Contacts:

Vol. 46, No. 209