Subsistence Fishing in Madison:
Is it an Environmental Justice Issue?
Maria Powell, Madison Environmental Justice Organization, University of Wisconsin
Kazoua Moua, UW-Extension, Dane County, Kennedy Heights Board of Directors
VamMeej Yang, Madison Environmental Justice Organization, Kennedy Heights Asian Outreach Coordinator
Jody Schmitz, Madison Environmental Justice Organization, Kennedy Heights Adult Outreach Coordinator
Jim Powell, Madison Environmental Justice Organization, Northside Planning Council
Many minority subsistence anglers
On the shores of Madison lakes
Many African Americans fishing
on Madison lakes are from Milwaukee
(Madison is their ―up north‖)
a
Fishing is very important socially and culturally
to Hmong, African American, Latino anglers,
and many depend on fish for food.
Is this an environmental justice
issue?
Are Madison mercury & PCB levels as bad
as Green Bay or Milwaukee?
Definitely not…but does that mean there’s no
problem?
• Lake Mendota
– Walleye (1 fish): .47 ppm Hg
– White bass (1 fish): .19 ppm Hg
• Lake Monona
– Walleye (4 fish): .17- .27 ppm Hg
• Wisconsin River
– White bass: .27 ppm Hg
PCBs
• Yahara Lakes fish range from .1 ppm to .52 ppm
mercury
• Yahara Lakes fish range from .045 to .46 ppm
PCBs
• No fish data on other metals, pesticides, PAHs,
PBDEs or pharmaceuticals (as far as we know).
Are some areas worse than others?
Monona Bay, an extremely popular shore angling area, has
been called a “toxic hotspot” by the DNR in the past??
“Polychlorinated biphenyls were detected in sediment samples collected in 1987,
with the highest concentration located along the north shore of Monona Bay. The
north shore of the bay is also a mercury hot spot. A possible source for the PCBs
and mercury is a large storm sewer outfall near the sampling site. Arsenic and
copper compounds were also measured in the core samples. Fish monitoring for
PCBs and mercury through WDNR’s fish consumption advisory program will
continue indefinitely.”
-from the WDNR Lower Rock River Water Quality Management Plan, 2001
Dane County Regional Planning Commission,
recommendations in the Yahara Monona Priority
Watershed Project Plan (1992)
1. The Lower Rock River Basin Team should conduct fish monitoring in
Lake Waubesa, the Yahara River, and Lake Monona for mercury.
2. The Lower Rock River Basin Team should conduct additional sediment
core sampling in Lake Monona and Lake Waubesa to identify
possible trends in PCB contamination.
14. The Lower Rock River Basin Team should conduct a more complete
assessment of in-place pollutants in Monona Bay by expanding
sediment sampling to areas not previously sampled.
Were these studies ever done?
Do Madison mercury & PCB levels pose health
risks for Madison anglers…?
• Yes, if people are eating fish regularly, which many subsistence anglers
are. They are also consuming other toxins in the fish.
• Regardless
The EPA recommends
that for fishlevels
concentrations
ranging from .12
ppm
of fish mercury
and consumption
rates,
to .47 ppm (about the range of the Madison fish) people should generally
MEJO
communication
eat nofeels
morethat
than 2-4
meals a month. about the potential risks to the
people potentially most affected is critical, and an ethical
responsibility
those should
who know
these
issues..
• Pregnant
women andofchildren
only eatabout
one meal
a month
of the
fish on the higher end of this range (which larger fish like walleye and
bass in Madison can have).
• Our preliminary research suggests that some Madison anglers eat far
more than this amount, including fish that are likely to have levels on the
higher end of this range.
• Some Hmong anglers we have surveyed eat fish every day during
fishing seasons.
Lack of data is a significant problem:
Do we know the extent of the health
risks anglers are taking
from consuming Madison fish?
--No--only sparse data on fish
mercury levels, consumption rates or
health outcomes
In the meantime, are minority anglers
in Madison getting information
about fish advisories, health risks
from eating fish?
--MEJO’s work suggests that they
aren’t…
Numerous studies show that white, educated, men are
more likely to get advisories than others:
– WI DHFS study (Imm et al., 2005):
• 55% of whites/15% blacks aware of advisory
• 65% of men/30% of women aware of advisory
• 55% of people with some college and 33% of people with
less than high school were aware
• Older people were more aware than younger people
• Similar findings in many other studies
• Unfortunately, those who are least likely to get advisories
are those who may be more likely to be at risk from fish
contaminants.
Communication is a key EJ issue!
All the data/scientific studies in the world will do nothing to reduce
human exposures to mercury in fish if people who eat a lot of fish
don’t know about advisories, don’t understand fish consumption
advice, don’t have the resources or capacity to do anything about the
problems…
Where are
The signs?
• February 11, 1994
•
•
•
•
• EXECUTIVE ORDER
FEDERAL ACTIONS TO ADDRESS ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE
IN MINORITY POPULATIONS AND LOW-INCOME POPULATIONS
By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the
laws of the United States of America, it is hereby ordered as follows:
Section 1-1. IMPLEMENTATION.
1-101. Agency Responsibilities. To the greatest extent practicable and
permitted by law, and consistent with the principles set forth In the report
on the National Performance Review, each Federal agency shall make
achieving environmental justice part of its mission by identifying and
addressing, as appropriate, disproportionately high and adverse human
health or environmental effects of its programs, policies, and activities
on minority populations and low-income populations in the United
States and its territories and possessions, the District of Columbia, the
Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and the Commonwealth of the Marian
islands.
Sec. 3 -3. Research, Data Collection, and Analysis
3-301. Human Health and Environmental Research and Analysis. (a)
Environmental human health research, whenever practicable and
appropriate, shall include diverse segments of the population in
epidemiological and clinical studies, including segments at high risk
from environmental hazards, such as minority populations, low-income
populations and workers who may be exposed to, substantial
environmental hazards.
(b) Environmental human health analyses, whenever practicable and
appropriate, shall identify multiple and cumulative exposures.
(c) Federal agencies shall provide minority populations and low-income
populations the opportunity to comment on the development and design
of research strategies undertaken pursuant to this order.
Sec. 4-4. Subsistence Consumption Of Fish And Wildlife.
4-401. Consumption Patterns. In order to assist in identifying the
need for ensuring protection of populations with differential patterns of
subsistence consumption of fish and wildlife, Federal agencies,
whenever practicable and appropriate, shall collect, maintain, and
analyze information on the consumption patterns of populations who
principally rely on fish and/or wildlife for subsistence. Federal
agencies shall communicate to the public the risks of those
consumption patterns.
4-402. Sec. 5-5. Public Participation and Access to Information
(b). Each Federal agency may, whenever practicable and
appropriate, translate crucial public documents, notices, and
hearings relating to human health or the environment for limited
English-speaking populations.
(c ) Each Federal agency shall work to ensure that public
documents, notices, and hearings relating to human health or the
environment are concise, understandable, and readily accessible to the
public.
In sum--are there environmental justice problems in Madison?
MEJO thinks there are.
• Research/data needed to address extent of risks to minorities and
poor subsistence anglers not gathered.
• Exposure & health studies are often ―color-blind‖
– Minorities are usually underrepresented or not there at all
• Are agencies, researchers, NGOs in Madison communicating
with people of color and poor?
• People of color, poor are often “invisible” and ignored.
– Why are there such big
disparities in who gets
advisories and who doesn’t?
• Huge contextual/cultural and socioeconomic
differences in fishing, fish consumption
• Use of/ access to different kinds of information
• Different kinds of knowledge/experiences
• Varying government trust levels, anger and worry
about issue
Fishing is very culturally and socially important for anglers
from all backgrounds:
European American culture—Friday fish fries, sport-fishing from boats, fish
expos, Lake Erie ―walleye capital of the world‖…
African Americans—back yard fish fries with friends and family, Southern
fishing culture, fried panfish…
Deep cultural connections for people from many backgrounds (Native
American, Asian, Latino).
But, contexts of these cultures are very different, and American society is still
very segregated by race and class, so these cultures do not interact often.
Scientists, government staff--and risk communicators--are largely from
European American cultures, which contributes to communication
disparities in many ways…
European Americans more likely to know about
and have access to scientific info, government
sources, news, Internet, etc.
“I have acquaintances, friends that are willing to
inform me. People that work with government.
And also my other sources—I have alternate news
sources. I’m not relying on the newspaper. I’m
relying on, for instance, Internet news sources.
Alternate news sources. So, it’s not that difficult
for me to get information. And the public
library…they do have information in the library.”
(White woman, Milwaukee)
Many African Americans are aware of pollution issues,
but are much more likely to rely on first-hand
observations, experiences, talking to friends/family…
“Well, like I said, contamination of
fish, quality of the water, you know,
you can tell by the way water looks,
you know, it’s alarming, a lot of
garbage, you know, you can tell by
how the water is…you know, like
down by the lake, there’s a lot of
garbage down there and they did
not take care of the problem. You
know what I mean…”
(African American, Cleveland)
Obvious differences in where European and
African Americans buy fish, go fishing, contexts
of fishing and fish consumption …
Fish
market
In
Milwaukee
suburbs
Fish markets and bait shops
In inner city Milwaukee
Different views from
different places—
E.G., white sport anglers fishing from boats…
Fishing from the shore…
How we do communication and outreach is
critical!
Government, health agencies, researchers and NGOS need to put more $$ and
staff
in-person language
and culturally
appropriatecontexts
outreach and education
Needinto
to understand
cultural, physical,
socioeconomic
with
anglers
backgrounds;
they need to
do gets
moreadvisories
than just print
outand
of fishing
andfrom
fish all
consumption
to understand
who
(or not)
advisories
and hopeand
they
get information
to the intended
Theyused
need(ortonot)
build trust
how advisories
other
areaudiences.
perceived and
with minority anglers and communities, work to understand their perspectives
and cultures, and work with them to collectively address these issues.
• The Madison Environmental Justice
Organization educates the community
about environmental justice issues,
facilitate the community’s ability to
address them, and supports
environmental justice for the benefit of
the people from all backgrounds.
• Our local air and water pollution has
disproportionate impacts on people of color and
the poor.
• We aim to build community capacity to address
the public health and water quality issues related
to the consumption of contaminated fish among
people of color and the poor.
• We also aim to build community capacity to
address other air, water, and food issues that
people of color & poor are concerned about (e.g.,
asthma & air pollution).
MEJO’s recent
work
Working with the Hmong community
at Kennedy Heights on Madison’s Northside
to understand fish consumption and risks and build
capacity to address these issues.
Goal is not to stop the consumption of fish from Madison lakes—but
rather, to work collectively with people from different cultures (including
European American) to make the water and fish here as clean as they can be,
so that our children & grandchildren do not have to worry about fish advisories!
What we have been doing..
• Community education meetings
• Research/investigation on scope of fish
consumption, awareness
• Contacting public officials about addressing fish
contamination issues
• Raising awareness in community, getting issue into
mass media
• Most importantly, building relationships, trust with
Hmong community and other affected communities
in Madison to address all EJ issues (not just fish)