White Clay Creek :: White Clay Creek Fish Advisory

Rick Greene, Water Quality, and Roy Miller, Fisheries, both of the Delaware Dept. of Natural Resources and Environental Control (DNREC), met recently with the White Clay Creek Management Committee to discuss the recent stricter Fish Advisory placed on White Clay Creek for both stocked and naturally occurring fish caught in the White Clay Creek from Paper Mill bridge north to the state line.

The full fish advisory is available at www.dnrec.state.de.us/fw/advisory.htm . Changes for the upper portion of White Clay Creek include recommendations to eat no more than one 8-ounce meal of resident fish or stocked trout from those waters per month. The advisories reflect recent data on chemicals of concern such as PCBs, dioxins, pesticides and mercury in certain fish species and take into consideration the general health benefits of eating a variety of fish. Rick detailed the various contaminants that were tested, outlined the testing procedures, explained the resulting data graphs, and the risk assessment procedure. Delaware spends considerable money on sophisticated testing and utilizes a conservative risk assessment protocol to protect the health of its citizens.

Contaminant problems with stocked trout are nationwide in scope and oftentimes result from low level contamination in fish feeds. (Fish oils used in the manufacture of trout feed can contain low levels of PCBs.) Differences in risk assessment procedures among states may result in less restrictive fish advisories in other states such as Pennsylvania.

Recommendations that were discussed included:

Investigation of better feedstock for trout hatcheries. This problem is getting national attention and may result in reduced contamination. Delaware is such a small player in this arena that we have little clout by ourselves to make an impact. Roy noted he is investigating other hatcheries and staying on top of the national and regional discussion. A Delaware owned hatchery was suggested but it was noted that it is an expensive venture requiring a continuous high quality water supply.
Including a handout detailing the stocked trout advisory for trout stamps sold before the new Fishing Guide is printed with these revised fish advisories.
WCCWMC assisting with public education outreach for fishermen in DE and PA. This would focus on fish contamination, risk assessment, and also the role of cleaning and cooking techniques to reduce the amount of toxic material ingested. An outreach effort would include helping to distribute and post on our website the fish contamination brochure now being printed by DNREC. Outreach could also note that while the risk to health has been quantified, in general eating fish has health benefits.
Rick will follow up with the DE Department of Health regarding posting warning signs in WCC State Park. It was suggested that parking lots may be the best spot for signage.
WCCWMC inviting PA Fish and Boat Commission to a meeting to discuss the PA risk assessment procedure.