Appendix C - Passaic River Public Digital Library

Table 5-1. Fish Species Located Within the Lower 8 Miles of the Passaic River.
Fish Species at Sampling Locations
Within the Lower 8 Miles
Common carp a
Channel catfish a
Bluefish c
Blue crab c,d
American eel a
Striped bass a
White perch a
Atlantic menhaden a
Brown bullhead a
Weakfish b
Gizzard shad b
a. ChemRisk, 1995. (Study area only included lower 6 miles)
b. Iannuzzi and Ludwig, 2004. (Study area only included lower 6 miles)
c. NJDEP, 2006b.
d. Desvousges et al., 2001.
For purposes of this risk assessment, fish species common to the lower portion of the river and species
commonly eaten as reported in angler/creel surveys and published literature were identified and further
evaluated for use in determining the dataset to use for development of the EPCs. The EPCs for fish
tissue-residue samples are based on a composite of tissue samples, rather than a single species, from those
species that are of recreational importance (i.e., may be appreciably consumed by recreational
anglers/sportsmen). For this risk assessment, a review of the Passaic River Study Area Creel/Angler
Survey (Desvousges et al., 2001) in conjunction with the fish community data collected by TSI (2002) in
accordance with the Passaic River Study Area Ecological Sampling Plan (TSI, 1999), resulted in the
identification of two target fish species for the Lower Passaic River: the white perch and the American
eel. In addition to being commonly caught and abundant in the study area, these species represent two
distinct ecological groups of fish: predators (the white perch) and bottom-feeders (the American eel,
which feeds on crabs, fish, and crayfish). This allows for the assessment of a variety of habitats, feeding
strategies, and physiological factors that might result in differences in the uptake of contaminants. For
instance, bottom-feeding species may bioaccumulate high contaminant concentrations from direct
physical contact with contaminated sediment or by consuming epibenthic organisms and benthic
invertebrates that live in contaminated sediment. Predator species are good indicators of persistent
contaminants such as mercury, which may be biomagnified through several trophic levels of the food
web.
The creel/angler survey (Desvousges et al., 2001) identified the white perch and American eel as the most
commonly caught (and the most commonly consumed) fish species at 65% and 17%, respectively.
Striped bass, catfish (no specific species), and carp each represented 7% of the catch (Desvousges et al.,
2001). The fish community survey (TSI, 2002) identified striped bass, American eel, and white perch as
being present throughout the lower 8-mile study area. The most common species identified in the lower
8 miles of the Passaic River were inland silverside, mummichog, and Atlantic menhaden, none of which
are species of interest for anglers. These three fish species are relatively small (up to 5 inches) and
therefore would be of limited interest for human consumption, but they are forage fish for the bigger
game fish. Other species that were not as prevalent as the forage fish but were identified in the fish
community data survey are the striped bass and white perch. American eel were observed, but not in
Draft Focused Feasibility Study Risk Assessment 5-2 June 2007
Lower Passaic River Restoration Project Appendix C