Injuries to Hudson River Fishery Resources: Fishery Closures and Consumption Restrictions. Hudson River Natural Resource Damage Assessment. Final Report.

摘要

The Hudson River fishery is an important natural resource that has provided significant recreational, economic, cultural and ecological services to the public. This report examines 1) the past and present injuries to fishery resources resulting from the accumulation of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in Hudson River fish, and 2) the subsequent actions taken by New York state officials to limit use of the resource in order to protect public health. Since 1974, numerous studies have documented high levels of PCBs in the water, sediments, and fish of the Hudson River, and the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has designated 200 miles of the Hudson River, from Hudson Falls to the Battery in New York City, as a Superfund site. This injury report is a component of a broader investigation being carried out by three governmental agencies: the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI), and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). These agencies, which act on the publics behalf as trustees of the Hudson Rivers natural resources, are conducting a natural resources damages assessment to determine whether the Hudsons natural resources have been injured as a result of releases of PCBs to the River. The Trustees will then evaluate how best to restore those resources and the services they provide.