Dangerous Water Contamination Affecting Hudson County Seafood

Hudson County residents have been warned by the DEP to steer clear of the Newark River, a popular fishing site, where serious water contamination is affecting sea-life in the river. A video report of the contamination is posted below in this article, courtesy of Chasing New Jersey.

While many who fish at the river near Bayonne choose to catch and release, the DEP is warning locals that consuming fish caught in the Newark River could result in devastating consequences. Although dozens of signs warning fishers about the contamination have been posted, locals told My9NJ that few heed the warnings. Some residents, however, have accused Hudson County of posting too few signs in the area.

“I see [the signs] all the time. So when I see them I’m like whoa man there’s a sign there man. But they don’t take it, you know what they say? ‘Oh when we boil out all the bacteria…’ I say okay. It’s funny but it’s sad, I won’t eat a crab from here,” one local explained to My9NJ.

The news of contamination is not altogether new; crabbing was banned in the 1980s due to contamination from chromium and other cancer-causing Agent Orange productions, My9NJ reports.

The DEP warns fishers to stay away from shell fish, however, consuming up to four meals of striped bass and one catfish out of the Newark bay per year has been deemed safe. As a reminder, pregnant women and children should not consume any fish from the river at all.