User:Elmcdonald180/Urban fishing

Lead
Risks of Urban Fishing

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Pollution in urban waterways produces a risk for fishers when their purpose for fishing is consumption. Throughout multiple rivers in the United States, carcinogens and hazardous chemicals such as mercury, dieldrin, and polychlorinated biphenyls have been found in native fish populations including the striped bass and the longnose gar. Due to the chemical composure of PCBs, it takes years to breakdown and particles persist in the food chain long after their initial introduction into the ecosystem. Heavy consumption of the affected fish over the span of many years can lead to fertility issues and pregnancy abnormalities. While the Clean Water Act has led to improved efforts to regulate contaminants in waterways, the water must have a recognized purpose for mandatory testing. Some of the challenges presented by pollutants entering aquatic ecosystems can be lessened by finding an alternative to or limiting the use of pesticides that can enter an ecosystem through run-off and finding alternatives to reduce the amount of single use plastics that can pose hazards to aquatic life.