A Survey Methodology for Collecting Fish Consumption Data in Urban and Industrial Water Bodies (Part 1)

Abstract

The potential human health risks associated with consuming fish containing hazardous substances are related to the frequency, duration, and magnitude of exposure. Because these risk factors are often site specific, they require site-specific data. In anticipation of performing a risk assessment of the lower 6 miles of the Passaic River in New Jersey (Study Area), a year-long creel/angler survey collected such site-specific data. The lower Passaic River is urbanized and industrialized, and its site conditions present unique survey design and sampling challenges. For example, the combined population of the municipalities surrounding the Study Area is nearly 330,000, but because the Study Area is tidal, state law does not require fishing licenses for anglers to fish or crab in the Study Area. The sampling challenges posed by the lack of licensing are exacerbated by the industrialization and lack of public access in the lower half of the Study Area. This article presents a survey methodology designed to overcome these challenges to provide data for accurately estimating the Study Area's angling population and the fish and crabs they catch, keep, and eat. In addition to addressing the challenges posed by an urban and industrial setting, the survey methodology also addresses the issues of coverage, avidity, and deterrence, issues necessary for collecting a representative sample of the Study Area's anglers. This article is a companion to two other articles. The first companion article describes the analytical methodology designed to process the data collected during the survey. The second presents, validates, and interprets the survey results relating to human exposure factors for the lower Passaic River.

The work and research underlying this paper was performed with financial support from Tierra Solutions, Inc.

Notes

∗Advisories are also in effect for the larger Newark Bay Complex surrounding the Study Area (NJDEP, 2005). Despite these advisories, research by Kirk Pflugh et al. (1999), Burger et al. (1999), and May and Burger (1996) show that anglers continue to fish in the Newark Bay Complex, and some anglers report consuming the fish they catch.

∗For a relevant sampling perspective, Kinnell et al. (2006) report the results of a population-based survey of the Five County Area designed to collect information on the urban site-choice decisions of Five County Area recreators.

∗For more complete treatments of weight development see Gelman (2005), Lu and Gelman (2003), Gelman and Carlin (2001), Little (1991, 1993), Kish (1992), and Holt and Smith (1979). Ray et al. (2007a) describe the methodology for treating the survey weights as a random variable, and Ray et al. (2007b) present the results.

∗The 13 angler observations at location 5 occurred on only 3 of the 143 days that the boat team was on the river. Because the 7 Intercept days scheduled at location 5 did not occur on any of the 3 days when anglers were present at location 5, the Interviewers did not intercept any anglers at location 5.