Posted October 23, 2013
Conservation and commercial fishing groups recently filed
a lawsuit against the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), stating that
fish consumption estimates are outdated which has resulted in weaker pollution
standards under the Clean Water Act, according to an article by the Associated
Press, available here. The complaint is available here.
The plaintiffs, Puget Soundkeeper Alliance, Columbia
Riverkeeper, and the Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen’s Associations,
argue that if estimates were more realistic, the state would be required
enforce stricter regulations of mercury, lead, copper, and other toxins in the
state’s waters.
Under the Clean Water Act, businesses must obtain
permits before discharging pollutants into the state’s waters. Increasing the estimate of how much fish
people eat, would likely result in more restrictive guidelines in issuing the
permits.
Washington currently estimates that the average person
consumes 8 ounces (roughly one fillet) per month, or 6.5 gram per day. That figure originally came from federal
guidelines published in 1990, but EPA has urged states to adopt more realistic
estimates.
Surveys show that actual fish-consumption rates in
Washington are much higher, as much as 200 or 300 grams or more per day,
according to Chris Wilke, with the Puget Soundkeeper Alliance, in an article by
KPLU available here.
Oregon recently adopted a higher standard of 175 grams
per day, nearly 27 times higher than Washington’s current standard.
The state Department of Ecology says it is working on
an update and expects to have a draft rule ready by early next year.
“The current under-protective standard allows too much
toxic water pollution…This hurts the livelihoods of fish-dependent families,
communities, and industries,” said Glen Spain, Northwest Regional Director of
the Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen’s Associations (PCFFA) in a press release
by the Puget Soundkeeper Alliance, available here.
Bret VandenHevel, Executive Director of Columbia
Riverkeeper, said “Parents should be able to feed their families fish without
fear of toxic exposure.”
For more information on the Clean Water Act, please visit the National Agricultural Law Center's website here.
