PCB contamination in the Hudson River has restricted fish consumption for generations. The Hudson River Natural Resources Trustees released a report today confirming that the public’s use of the Hudson River fishery, whether for a livelihood, a source of recreational enjoyment, or for nutrition, continues to be severely curtailed.
The report is part of the broader investigation carried out by the U.S. Department of Commerce, U.S. Department of the Interior and the State of New York, serving as trustees on behalf of the public, to measure natural resource injuries from General Electric’s release of PCBs to the Hudson River from its manufacturing plants in Hudson Falls and Ft. Edward, NY.
Today's report updates and expands a June 2001 injury determination report on fishery closures and consumption restrictions. Previous reports have identified injuries to resident waterfowl (August 2013) and to surface water resources (July 2006 and December 2008).
Since 1975, the presence of high concentrations of PCBs in Hudson River fish has led New York State officials to close various recreational and commercial fisheries and to issue advisories restricting the consumption of fish taken from the Hudson River. Further, since 1976, the general population has been advised to eat no fish taken from approximately 40 miles of the upper Hudson River, from Fort Edward to Troy, New York.
The Trustees will use this injury determination report to inform their restoration work through the Natural Resource Damage Assessment and Restoration process, which will compensate the public for this loss. For example, the Trustees may seek to increase access to fishing opportunities by improving fish habitat or may provide restoration that increases fish populations.
To access the report and for more information, visit the Hudson River Natural Resource Trustee websites: www.fws.gov/contaminants/restorationplans/hudsonriver/index.html, www.darrp.noaa.gov/northeast/hudson/index.html, www.dec.ny.gov/lands/25609.html
About the Hudson River Natural Resource Trustees
The Trustee agencies are the U.S. Department of Commerce, the U.S. Department of the Interior and the State of New York. These entities have each designated representatives that possess the technical knowledge and authority to perform natural resource damage assessments. For the Hudson River, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration represents the Department of Commerce; the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service represents the Department of the Interior (including the National Park Service); and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation represents the State of New York.
