Be forewarned: You may not want to eat what you catch

WASHINGTON - If you're thinking about fishing in area waterways, you need to be aware that there are some fish that you can't eat.

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and other chemical contaminants continue to be found in certain fish species caught in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed.

They are found in parts of the Anacostia and Potomac rivers.

PCBs, which haven't been manufactured since the 1970s, are in the sediments of the Potomac, says Joe Hoffman, executive director of the Interstate Commission on the Potomac River Basin.

Long-term exposure to potentially carcinogenic PCBs can result in respiratory and gastrointestinal problems, as well as developmental problems, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.

The D.C. Department of Health says you should avoid bottom-feeding fish -- catfish, carp and eel -- caught in the Potomac and Anacostia rivers and their tributaries.

Virginia's advisorys for catfish or carp caught in the Potomac and its tributaries extend to the following areas: Arlington, Alexandria, Fairfax County, Prince William County, Stafford County and King George County.

You can eat largemouth bass, but D.C. suggests limiting intake to a half-pound per month. A half-pound per week is the suggested maximum for sunfish.

The Maryland Department of Health warns that you should not eat carp caught in the state's portion of the Anacostia. Eel and catfish are OK, but you should limit your consumption to one serving every other month. Servings of brown bullhead, largemouth bass and sunfish caught in this area should be limited to two a month.

Some fish in urban waterways are exposed to a lot of chemicals and heavy metals. The fish can take those toxic materials up into their tissues.

"If we are a person, for example, who's catching fish on a subsistence level where you depend on fish that you catch three or four times a week, it can be a problem," says Donald Boesch, a marine scientist who serves as the president of the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science.

In Virginia, advisories are in effect for the James River, especially between the fall line in Richmond and the Hampton-Norfolk Bridge tunnel. Blue catfish caught in these waters may contain PCBs and should not be eaten. Consumption of carp from this area should be very limited.

Only small amounts of carp caught in Lake Anna should be eaten and people should consume limited amounts of all fish caught in the South Fork Shenandoah River because of high mercury levels.

If you do catch fish from local waterways, you should skin the fish and trim or cook away the fat because contaminants tend to concentrate in the fat of fish.

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