Oregon's Natural Resource Agencies: Censors Clam Diggers....

new

« Prev
1
Next »

Admin
Administrator

Posts: 1,411

Oregon's Natural Resource Agencies: Censors Clam Diggers.... Jan 3, 2016 2:49:44 GMT

Quote

Post by Admin on Jan 3, 2016 2:49:44 GMT

The ODFW and ODA Continue to censor clam diggers. It is our opinion that the softshell clams in the upper Yaquina River Estuary are far more polluted than the State claims. It was our desire to warn the public of the threat that consuming soft shell clams poses to the public safety by posting our concern in Oregon's Fishing Regulations.

It took some time but I finally realized that the ODFW Commission and Directors are never going to allow clam diggers to voice our opinions. Bill

From: Ed Bowles
Sent: Wednesday, September 23, 2015 12:00 PM
To: Rep Gomberg
Cc: MELCHER Curt
Subject: RE: Soft-shell clam advisory

Rep. Gomberg… Sorry for the delay getting back to you on our criteria for advertising in our regulation booklets. We have a contractor that takes care of soliciting ads. Below are the criteria the contractors use when soliciting these ads. Regarding health advisories by private entities, we would not publish those unless they were approved and consistent with the appropriate State or federal health authorities. In this case, if the Clam Diggers Association of Oregon is proposing to advertise health warnings for the consumption of clams, they first need to contact ODA and Oregon Health Authority for their approval. Based on the email string below, CDAO does not have ODA or OHA support or approval for their proposed advisory, so we are denying their request. Oregon Health Authority has advertised consumption warnings for fish species in past regulation books and we also have information in the marine section of the regulations that refer anglers to contact ODA Shellfish Safety hotline before harvesting clams or mussels. In 2014 and 2015 that information can be found on pages 108 and 100, respectively. Hope this helps. Let me know if any follow up is needed. Thx… Ed

Ad Criteria:

5.3.3 The types of advertising which may be accepted are those appropriate for the intended audiences in their pursuit of outdoor recreation, tourism, and education. Unacceptable advertising includes, but is not limited to the following:
• Advertising that depicts any action in violation of state law or environmental policy
• Alcoholic beverages, cigarettes and other tobacco products
• Political parties, political action groups, political issues or candidates for office
• Sexually explicit advertising
• Advertising that is demeaning to any protected class, minorities, ethnic groups or women
• Portrayal of any unsafe or illegal activities
• Life jacket requirement for any ads that include people in watercraft

5.3.4 Advertising must meet Department standards and only those advertisements approved by the Department will be included in the regulations. The Contractor shall provide to the Department for review and approval a complete copy of all advertising text and visuals proposed for inclusion in the regulations. The Contractor shall submit to the Department an ad copy of all proposed advertisements. All proposed print layouts shall also be submitted and are subject to Department approval. The Department’s right to review and approve all advertising is absolute and shall be at no cost to the Department.

Note: Advertiser(s) are also our customers and one of ODFW’s goals is to promote and provide fishing and hunting opportunities as well as product information needed to pursue and enjoy these recreational activities by way of the regulations. Rates for advertisers shall not exceed fair market value.

5.3.5 Once an ad is approved by ODFW the contractor may collect advertising fees when sale is finalized.

5.3.6 Back cover page must be sold as full-page ad. Front cover will not have advertising and is responsibility of the Department. Inside cover and other pages may be sold as partial pages. Partial pages of not less than one-sixteenth may be sold at the corresponding percentage of the full page rate.

Last Edit: Jan 3, 2016 3:28:15 GMT by Admin

Admin
Administrator

Posts: 1,411

Oregon's Natural Resource Agencies: Censors Clam Diggers.... Jan 3, 2016 3:44:04 GMT

Quote

Post by Admin on Jan 3, 2016 3:44:04 GMT

Recruiting Arsenic and Benzo(a)Pyrene to contaminate the Yaquina River Estuary from creosote rail road ties discarded by the RR along the Yaquina River. Compliments of the State of Oregon and the EPA and Corps of Engineers.

When we discovered that the railroad ties were being replaced on the rail line adjacent to the Yaquina River, to which for safety sake, we had no objections to replacing the railroad ties; but, we requested from Oregon’s State Agencies to consider using railroad ties made from alternative materials. Our concern was and still is the contamination from creosote impregnated wood. We appealed to mother, God and Country and were refused by all.

We were satisfied to use the opportunity to conduct a study to evaluate the relationship between the contaminates associated with the railroad ties and the invertebrates that are common to the lower Yaquina River and the upper Yaquina River Estuary. We researched the go to person in Oregon State University and appealed to him to consider initiating the dialog to achieve stating a study. Well OSU ignored our request twice as well as every other level of Government that we contacted.

The CDAO believes the State is short changing clam diggers over the level of pollution in the upper Yaquina River Estuary. When the State realized they had problem with arsenic they used the two sites that were and are today what we consider as inadequate. We requested additional testing. The State did some additional test but again it was inadequate. The State issued the following statement in support of their advisory about consuming softshell and gaper clams.

“Arsenic is a trace metal and chemical element that occurs naturally in sediments, bedrock, groundwater, plants, and animals. Inorganic arsenic is the toxic form of arsenic. This form is often associated with natural geology and rock formations but can also be introduced into the environment from pressure-treated wood, outdoor building materials, and by agriculture and industrial activities. Oregon’s coastal geology is naturally high in arsenic, and it is difficult to definitively identify the specific source of arsenic in the environment and in shellfish.”

The CDAO severely objects to the best management practice utilized by the operators of the railroad and the representatives of State and Federal Agencies. Their idea of best management practice fails in every way imaginable. There is no excuse for abandoning a huge quantity of used railroad ties along the Yaquina River. Without adequate testing the State has no idea what the lever of contamination is in the invertebrates common this reach of the river and bay that many of us consume.

Last Edit: Jan 3, 2016 17:52:52 GMT by Admin

Admin
Administrator

Posts: 1,411

Oregon's Natural Resource Agencies: Censors Clam Diggers.... Jan 3, 2016 6:50:21 GMT

Quote

Post by Admin on Jan 3, 2016 6:50:21 GMT

The contaminates associated with creosote are described in the following study, Bill

Contaminant exposure in outmigrant juvenile salmon from Pacific Northwest estuaries of the United States

Lyndal L. Johnson · Gina M. Ylitalo · Mary R. Arkoosh · Anna N. Kagley · Coral Stafford · Jennie L. Bolton · Jon Buzitis · Bernadita F. Anulacion · Tracy K. Collier

Abstract To better understand the dynamics of contaminant uptake in outmigrant juvenile salmon in the Pacific Northwest, concentrations of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), DDTs, polycylic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and organochlorine pesticides were measured in tissues and prey of juvenile Chinook and coho salmon from several estuaries and hatcheries in the US Pacific Northwest. PCBs, DDTs, and PAHs were found in tissues (whole bodies or bile) and stomach contents of Chinook and coho salmon sampled from all estuaries, as well as in Chinook salmon from hatcheries. Organochlorine pesticides were detected less frequently. Of the two species sampled, Chinook salmon had the highest whole body contaminant concentrations, typically 2–5 times higher than coho salmon from the same sites. In comparison to estuarine Chinook salmon, body burdens of PCBs and DDTs in hatchery Chinook were relatively high, in part because of the high lipid content of the hatchery fish. Concentrations of PCBs were highest in Chinook salmon from the Duwamish Estuary, the Columbia River and Yaquina Bay, exceeding the NOAA Fisheries’ estimated threshold for adverse health effects of 2400 ng/g lipid. Concentrations of DDTs were especially high in juvenile Chinook salmon from the Columbia River and Nisqually Estuary; concentrations of PAH metabolites in bile were highest in Chinook salmon from the Duwamish Estuary and Grays Harbor .Juvenile Chinook salmon are likely absorbing some contaminants during estuarine residence through their prey, as PCBs, PAHs, and DDTs were consistently present in stomach contents ,at concentrations significantly correlated with contaminant body burdens in fish from the same sites.
Keywords Chinook salmon. Coho salmon .Contaminants. PAHs. PCBs. DDTs. Pesticides .Washington. Oregon. Estuary
Introduction
Estuaries are important habitats for salmon during the juvenile stage of their life cycle, when they make the transition from freshwater to the ocean (Healey, 1982). Estuaries provide outmigrating juvenile salmon with a refuge from predators, a rich food supply that supports rapid growth, and appropriate conditions for the physiological adaptation to saltwater (Dorcey et al., 1978; Simenstad et al., 1982). However, urban and industrial development may impair the quality of estuar-ine habitats. Estuaries located near urban centers often receive inputs of toxic contaminants from municipal and industrial activities (Brown et al., 1998; USEPA, 1997), which may be taken up by juvenile salmon and their prey. Because juvenile salmon are in a period of rapid development, and undergoing many physiological changes during their residence in estuarine environments, they may be especially vulnerable to the deleterious effects of toxic chemicals.
The well-documented presence of chemically contaminated sediments in Puget Sound urban estuaries (e.g., Malins et al., 1982) prompted a series of studies to examine the degree to which juvenile salmon were exposed to toxic chemicals during estuarine residence (McCain et al., 1990; Varanasi et al., 1993; Stein et al., 1995; Stehr et al., 2000). Juvenile salmon (primarily Chinook and coho, Onchorhynchus tshawytscha and O. kisutch) were sampled from several urban and non-urban estuaries in Puget Sound including the Green River/Duwamish Estuary system in Seattle, the Puyallup River/Hylebos Waterway system in Tacoma, and the more rural Snohomish River and Nisqually River Estuaries. Juvenile Chinook salmon from hatcheries associated with sampled estuaries were also collected and whole bodies and stomach contents were analyzed for chemical concentrations. Results of these surveys showed that outmigrating juvenile Chinook salmon from the Duwamish and Hylebos Waterways exhibited consistent evidence of exposure to contaminants. Juvenile Chinook salmon from the Snohomish Estuary, which has some urban development, also appeared to be exposed to contaminants, but to a much lesser degree than salmon from the Duwamish and Hylebos Waterways. In addition, when held in tanks with flow-through seawater for a period of several months, juvenile salmon from the Duwamish Estuary exhibited reduced growth and reduced disease resistance when compared to salmon from either the Green River Hatchery (the primary source of salmon for the Duwamish Estuary) or to salmon from the nonurban Nisqually system (Arkoosh et al., 1998; Casillas et al., 1995). Similar effects were observed for juvenile salmon from the Hylebos Waterway (Arkoosh et al., 2001; Casillas et al., 1998). Chemical contaminant exposure in the estuary appeared to place additional stresses on juvenile Chinook salmon that could affect their long-term health and survival as they enter the marine environment.
To increase our knowledge of concentrations of chemical contaminants in outmigrant salmon in the Pacific Northwest, we carried out an expanded study from 1996–2001 in which juvenile coho and Chinook salmon were collected for contaminant analyses from a number estuaries in Washington and Oregon. Classified by the overall level of development and channel alteration in each estuary (Cortright et al., 1987), the sampling areas included: five deep draft estuaries, with the maximum level channel alteration and urban development (Duwamish Estuary, Columbia River, Grays Harbor, Yaquina Bay, and Coos Bay); two shallow draft estuaries with less extensive channel alteration and some urban and industrial development (Tillamook Bay and Coquille River), four conservation estuaries, where channel alteration is minimal and development is limited (Skokomish Estuary, Nisqually Estuary, Willapa Bay and Alsea Bay); and two natural estuaries, which are largely undeveloped for residential, commercial or industrial uses (Elk River and Salmon River). Predominantly wild fish were collected in the estuaries, although some fish of hatchery origin may have been sampled due to incomplete marking of hatchery fish. Juvenile Chinook salmon were also sampled from regional hatcheries to evaluate contaminant uptake during rearing but prior to release. Our results indicate that exposure to chemical contaminants is widespread in outmigrant juvenile Chinook and coho salmon, and concentrations in tissues of Chinook salmon from several estuaries are high enough to pose a potential threat to their health and survival.

Last Edit: Jan 3, 2016 6:55:58 GMT by Admin

Forum

Oregon's Natural Resource Agencies: Censors Clam Diggers....

Post by Admin on Jan 3, 2016 2:49:44 GMT

Post by Admin on Jan 3, 2016 3:44:04 GMT

Post by Admin on Jan 3, 2016 6:50:21 GMT

Quick Reply