Something’s
fishy about New York’s fish—but
that won’t stop desperate locals from bringing home a free dinner. The “fresh”
fish that people have been catching is laden with toxins and cancer causing
PCBs; levels of mercury make it especially dangerous for children and women of
child-bearing age.
The Daily
News tested fish in three different locations, and the highest levels of
mercury and PCBs were seen in a striped bass found off of Gantry Plaza. Although Hunts Point in the Bronx
had a winter flounder that was a bit cleaner, tests of bluefish from the Gowanus Harbor off Red Hook
also had dangerous levels of toxins.
Although the studies appear to demonstrate that the fish caught near NYC's coast aren't safe, many of New
York’s shanty fishermen have yet to accept this
fact. Gabriel Gomez—a married father with two sons aged 12 and 15—is sited in the Daily News story as the typical example of a New York
fisherman. He was spotted wearing a garbage bag to protect himself from the
rain, while using his makeshift fishing rod constructed of discarded water bottle and
string. He said that, “This week, I only work one day. Yesterday, fish. Today,
fish. Not working too much, you see.”
Recreational
anglers at Gantry Plaza State Park in Queens
say that even beggars are hungry for the fish. Instead of asking for spare
change, they ask for spare fish from whomever is willing to share.
Yet some fishermen weren’t even aware of the dangers of mercury and
PCBs. To spread the warning, state officials say that they have already handed out
thousands of brochures in English and Spanish, and signs have been put up at
fishing spots throughout the city. [via nydailynews]
