Posted 6/23/2012
Citizens Alliance for Property Rights (CAPR) in Spokane, WA has responded to the WA State Dept. of Ecology’s (DOE) Recommendations for “fish consumption”. Letter to the DOE follows:
June 21, 2012
Washington State Department of Ecology (DOE): fishconsumption@ecy.wa.gov
The Spokane Chapter of Citizens’ Alliance for Property Rights (CAPR), reviewed your recommendations for increased Fish Consumption Rates (FCR). Our Chapter wants to officially go on record that we are not in favor of your specific recommendations for increased Fish Consumption Rates (FCR) for Washington State citizens.
Firstly, your proposal will waste tax payer dollars. Your more stringent water quality clean-up standards will cause businesses to suffer financially all across our state in these tough economic times.
Secondly, your increased FCR standards are based on consumption patterns of minority populations of tribes across the state. As you point out, tribal members eat larger quantities of fish, compared to the majority of the population in our state.
For example, DOE recommends that citizens follow the fish consumption patterns of the 29 Washington State Tribes by consuming 5, 8 oz fish meals per week. Whereas, the American Heart Association and Oregon State University only recommend that 3 ounces (the size of a deck of cards) of fish be eaten in a meal. Also, the American Heart Association recommends 2, 3 oz. fatty fish meals a week be eaten, not 5, 8 oz fish meals, which DOE recommends.
Therefore, the DOE should consider expert, nutritional recommendations for fish consumption patterns from the highly respected American Heart Association and the O.S.U. nutritional guidelines before revising FCR standards for all of the citizens of Washington State.
Cordially,
Kevin Paulson
President of Spokane Chapter of CAPR
10321 E. Bigelow Gulch
Spokane, WA 99217