The NJ Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has proposed regulations that would ban the sale of striped bass in the state because of high levels of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and dioxin. Recent studies have shown that more than half the striped bass caught in the region have PCB levels above the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) recommended level of 2 parts per million. Recreational fishing would not be affected by the ban, but the advisory to limit eating stripers, American eels, catfish, white perch and bluefish, in effect since 1983, would remain.
--Peter Montague, Ph.D.

Descriptor terms: wildlife; fish; striped bass; bans; fda; nj; american eel; white perch; bluefish; pcbs; food safety; catfish;