Go Fish event offers tips on fish safe to eat from the Cape Fear River

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) —The North Carolina Coastal Federation, Duke University Superfund Research Center, North Carolina State Cooperative Extension, and Cape Fear River Watch came together at the New Hanover County Arboretum to promote the “Stop Check Enjoy” campaign at the “Go Fish” event.

Many people in the area fish in the Cape Fear River for a low-cost source of protein. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency lists the river as an impaired waterway, and fish from it may contain harmful chemical contaminants for people who eat them.

There were community speakers at the event teaching attendees about safe fish to eat from the river.

“How to do it in the most safe way, which fish are safest, how to cook them in a safe way, but beyond that it’s kind of a reminder that we need to be doing everything we can to get the contaminants that are in these fish, because they live in the Cape Fear River system, out of the river system,” said Kemp Burdette, Cape Fear River Watch riverkeeper.

The North Carolina Coastal Federation, Duke University Superfund Research Center,  and Cape Fear River Watch have compiled information regarding the impact of pollution on the Cape Fear River.