Fish consumption advisories have been issued for many of the waterways within the Chesapeake Bay watershed, but advisories often are not followed by the public for various reasons, leaving many people at risk of consuming unhealthy levels of potentially contaminated fish. CMI was been awarded a grant by the Chesapeake Bay Program to collect information for several key waterways surrounding the Chesapeake Bay regarding population demographics and related patterns in fishing behavior, fish consumption, advisory awareness, and potential/perceived risk. This project (completed February 2005) included 1) a literature review; 2) on-site angler interviews at angler access points along the Anacostia/Potomac Rivers in Washington DC, Baltimore Harbor in Baltimore, and the Elizabeth/James Rivers in the Tidewater area of Virginia; and 3) facilitating a series of workshops for members of at-risk populations and local officials and leaders. Results are being used by these regions to develop and disseminate more effective fish consumption advisories.

View Full Project Report in .pdf format (includes Appendices, 1.8 MB).