This data represents the 2002 Integrated Report final assessment results for fish advisories in non-tidal and tidal rivers. Assigning a waterway where contaminated fish may have been caught (using a sampling/assessment methodology designed to evaluate impacts to consumers) may not be directly correlated with water quality degradation in a specific stream reach. Finfish, within certain limitations, are extremely mobile making associations with sources and causes often tenuous. Also, differing species, physiology and contaminant properties (e.g. only fatty muscle accumulates organochlorides) may result in only certain fish within a waterway presenting public health concerns whereas other fish are completely safe to eat.
This data spatially represents fish advisories in non-tidal and tidal rivers. The Department has issued statewide advisories for american eel, bluefish, striped bass, and american lobster for PCB contamination. Additional advisories in certain areas have been issued for white perch and white catfish for PCBs and blue crabs and shellfish for PCBs and/or dioxin. The Department has also issued mercury advisories in freshwater for largemouth bass and chain pickerel. Statewide advisories are not depicted in this coverage, only specific waterways listed on the state fish advisories are shown.
As far back as 1976, NJDEP instituted a comprehensive program to survey possible contamination of fish and shellfish in New Jersey waters. Although some contaminated fish and shellfish species in certain drainages have been identified, most fish species and waterways in New Jersey do not have fish consumption advisories. Original efforts (Belton 1982) evaluated a broad spectrum of fish including species of recreational and commercial importance as well as species used as ecological indicators. Sampling locations included all major drainage basins, locations containing known or suspected sources of PCB contamination or locations important to recreational and commercial fisheries. These initial results showed PCB contamination to be present only in certain species of fish with fatty edible tissue (e.g., striped bass, bluefish, American eel) whereas other important recreational and commercial foodfish were not contaminated (e.g., summer and winter flounder, weakfish, smallmouth and largemouth bass, perch, carp, etc.). Saltwater and migratory species (e.g., eel) tended to have higher concentrations than freshwater species. In addition, most waterways of the state did not have contaminated fish whereas certain geographical areas with a few species showed levels of concern apparently due to localized sources. Subsequent monitoring activities were then targeted at these species and drainages. This comprehensive approach followed by intensive localized monitoring was used again in the late 1980s when dioxins in fish became an environmental and health concern (Belton 1985), as well as, in the 1990s when mercury in finfish was discovered and heath advisories posted (NJDEP 1994). In general, concentrations of various persistent chemical contaminants are often highest in animals at the top of the food chain (e.g., apex fish and wildlife species), and fish from a number of sites around the state have been shown to contain contaminant concentrations above both federal and/or state thresholds. Identification of these findings prompted NJDEP and the Department of Health and Senior Services to issue health advisories on the consumption of several species of fish throughout the state targeted at specific waterways. Some species which are migratory (e.g., American eel) that pick up PCBs downstream in urban areas and then migrate upstream were given "Statewide" consumption advisories (i.e., even though fish were only analyzed from the estuaries) to conservatively protect fishermen/consumers upstream even though the contamination did not necessarily reflect local sources or conditions of water quality. These advisories are routinely listed at the NJDEP Website (i.e., www.state.nj.us/dep/fgw) and in the New Jersey Fish and Wildlife Digests (NJDEP 2000a and NJDEP 2000b). Go to http://www.state.nj.us/dep/wmm/sgwqt/wat/integratedlist/integratedlist.htm for more information on the Integrated Report.
publication date
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Linework is the USEPA Reach File 3.0 (RF3) hydrographic database. The fish advisories were typed into the attribute table for rivers impacted, and included verification check with 100% of the entries.
Checked for duplicate segments, undershoots, and overshoots.
Blank entries for fish advisories indicate that no fish advisory posted for river segment.
RF3 linework +- 35 ft
NA
RF3 used as the basis for linework.
EPA RF3 used as the base linework for the hydrography. The following edits were completed to improve and simplify the linework: a) lakes are represented by only one segment, one shoreline was deleted while the remaining shoreline represents lake as one line; b) canals of cranberry bogs were deleted (these are used for irrigation); c) type of waterbody (river, lake, canal) attribute was extensively edited based on NJDEP lakes, 1985 Land Use/Cover, and 1:24,000 hydrography coverages; d) added stream segments where sampling sites are located using 1:24,000 hydrography coverage; e) connected isolated stream segments if 1:24000 hydrography coverage showed a connection with rivers; and f) corrected river names. The fish advisories were typed into the entry field for all rivers that are impacted. Some river segments had to be split and new RF3 Reach IDs generated under the following circumstances: a) conventional spatial extent ended before the termination node of the river reach (occurred mostly when two sampling sites on same RF3 stream reach); b) tidal area split a river reach; or c) a lake not depicted on the original RF3 coverage was corrected on the linework. Intersected coverage with watershed management area and HUC 11 coverages to identify which watershed management, HUC 11, HUC 8, and region stream segment located. SEE the document "Integrated Water Quality Monitoring and Assessment Methods" for the description of the spatial extent method.
Internal feature number.
ESRI
Feature geometry.
ESRI
RF3 Identification Number - each waterbody segment assigned a unique ID.
USEPA RF3 Hydrography Database
Fish Advisory Status
NJDEP
fish advisory posted for river
NJDEP
Watershed Management Area - identifies the WMA the segment is located.
NJDEP Watershed Management Areas in New Jersey
Watershed Management Area Name
NJDEP Watershed Management Areas in New Jersey
Region Code - identifies the region the segment is located.
NJDEP 11 Digit Hydrologic Unit Code delineations for New Jersey (DEPHUC11)
Region Name
NJDEP 11 Digit Hydrologic Unit Code delineations for New Jersey (DEPHUC11)
Length of River Segment - length in feet
ESRI
Type of Waterbody
USEPA
River or Stream
USEPA
Wide River
USEPA
Lake
USEPA
Calculated River Segment Length - length converted to miles and based on type of waterbody
NJDEP
Lakes are not calculated in total rivder miles, see Lakes coverage for assessments
NJDEP
Wide rivers were diveded by 2 to prevent double counting of river miles.
NJDEP
Rivers and streams calculated by length of river segment.
NJDEP
River Name - name of river system the segment is located
USEPA Reach File Version 3.0, NJDEP 1:24,000 hydrography
Tributary Name - name of river, more detailed than River Name
USEPA Reach File Version 3.0, NJDEP 1:24,000 hydrography
Legnth in Miles
NJDEP
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