Still No Warning Signs for Toxic Fish
North Carolina officials plan to expand the studies of contaminated fish that led to a public health advisory for Mountain Island Lake and other parts of the Catawba basin last month, but The Charlotte Observer reports that there's no plan for warning fishermen.
Rich in vitamins, protein and PCBs
State has not yet posted recent PCB advisories at Mountain Island Lake's fishing access areas.
No signs about the Jan. 6 consumption advisory for channel catfish contaminated with polychlorinated biphenyls, or PCBs, have been posted at popular fishing access areas on the lake. State and local officials hadn't discussed signs until the Observer asked questions this week.
The N.C. Division of Public Health, which issued the advisory for PCB-laden channel catfish, says it relies on news reports and its website to alert the public. Because signs are expensive, the division says, they go up only when communities request them and help with the cost.
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Catawba River fish advisories - N.C. officials warn that no channel catfish from Mountain Island Lake should be eaten. Pregnant or nursing women, women who might become pregnant and children under 15 also shouldn't eat largemouth bass. Other people should eat no more than two meals a month of largemouth bass from the lake. More information is online at www.epi.state.nc.us/epi/fish.
