title: Fish Consumption Patterns and Mercury Advisory Knowledge Among Fishers in the Haw River Basin.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Fish consumption has numerous health benefits, with fish providing a source of protein as well as omega-3 fatty acids. However, some fish also contain contaminants that can impair human health. In North Carolina, the Department of Health and Human Services has issued fish consumption advisories due to methylmercury contamination in fish. Little is known about local fishers' consumption patterns and advisory adherence in North Carolina.
  
  
  METHODS
  We surveyed a consecutive sample of 50 fishers (74.6% positive response rate) who reported eating fish caught from the Haw River Basin or Jordan Lake. They provided information on demographic characteristics, species caught, and the frequency of local fish consumption. Additionally, fishers provided information on their knowledge of fish consumption advisories and the impact of those advisories on their fishing and fish consumption patterns.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The majority of participants were male (n = 44) and reported living in central North Carolina. Catfish, crappie, sunfish, and large-mouth bass were consumed more frequently than other species of fish. Of the fishers surveyed, 8 reported eating more than 1 fish meal high in mercury per week, which exceeds the North Carolina advisory recommendation. Most participants (n = 32) had no knowledge of local fish advisories, and only 4 fishers reported that advisories impacted their fishing practices.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We sampled 50 fishers at 11 locations. There is no enumeration of the dynamic population of fishers and no way to assess the representativeness of this sample.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Additional outreach is needed to make local fishers aware of fish consumption advisories and the potential health impacts of eating high-mercury fish, which may also contain other persistent and bioaccumulative toxins.
authors.affiliation: assistant professor, Division of Environmental Health, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California jillj@usc.edu.
authors.forename: Jill E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Johnston
authors.affiliation: research scientist, Department of Epidemiology, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina; visiting assistant professor, Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina.
authors.forename: Kate
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hoffman
authors.affiliation: associate professor, Department of Epidemiology, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina.
authors.forename: Steve
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Wing
authors.affiliation: project manager, Department of Epidemiology, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina.
authors.forename: Amy
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lowman
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000818:Animals; D004032:Diet; D005260:Female; D005399:Fishes; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008628:Mercury; D008875:Middle Aged; D009657:North Carolina; D045483:Rivers; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D008628:Mercury