GE has commissioned its own studies to show PCBs are harmless. Nonetheless, the PCB controversy has tainted the river for more than just casual outdoor enthusiasts. It's also virtually decimated the commercial fishing business on the lower Hudson. Thirty years ago when Everett Nack started fishing on the river, there were close to 500 similar commercial outlets trolling the waters in pursuit of shad, carp, catfish, sturgeon, striped bass, eels and yellow perch. Today the number ranges from 25 to 30, Nack says.
Shad is the only fish the state health department allows commercial fishermen to sell today.
Most of the other fish are considered unsafe for human consumption because they contain too many PCBs. Shad generally have lower levels of PCBs than other fish. While he's still in business, Nack says it isn't always easy. Thousands more were lost when striped bass, carp and catfish were deemed unsafe in the 1970s. There is hope for the future, Nack says, but only if GE takes the initiative to dredge the remaining PCBs in the upper Hudson now.