A Fish Consumption Survey Of The Tulalip and Squaxin Island Tribes of the Puget Sound Region
Author:
Toy , K.A., Polissar, N.L., Liao, S., and Mittelstaedt, G.D.
Date Published:
10/1996
Description:
A survey was conducted to determine fish and shellfish consumption rates of the Tulalip and Squaxin Island tribes of Puget Sound. Interviews took place between Feb. 25 and May 15, 1994 at central locations on the Tulalip and Squaxin Island reservations. A total of 190 tribal members, age 18 and older, were surveyed on consumption of 52 species. Data were collected for 69 children between the ages of birth and 5 years. Information was obtained for species consumed, fish parts consumed, preparation methods, sources of fish, and children’s consumption rates. Weight-adjusted consumption rates were calculated by tribe, age, gender, income, and species groups. Species groups (anadromous, bottom, pelagic, and shellfish) were defined by life history and distribution in the water column. Both median and mean fish consumption rates for adults and children within each tribe were calculated in terms of grams per kilogram body weight per day (g/kg/day). Anadromous fish and shellfish were the groups of fish most frequently consumed. Consumption per body weight varied by gender (males consumed more) and age (35-64 years consumed more than those younger and older), and there was no consistent pattern of consumption by income. The consumption rates for groups of fish differed between the tribes. The distribution of consumption rates was skewed toward large values. In the Tulalip Tribes, the estimated median consumption rate for all forms of fish combined was 0.55 g/kg/day, and in the Squaxin Island tribe, the estimated median rate was 0.52 g/kg/day. The median rates for the Tulalip Tribes (unadjusted for weight) were 53 g/day for males, 34 g/day for females, and for the Squaxin Island tribe the rates were 66 g/day for males and 25 g/day for females. The median consumption rate for children age birth to five years was 0.17 g/kg/day. The median consumption rate for the Tulalip children was 0.08 g/kg/day and 0.51 for the Squaxin Island children. For the majority of consumption, fish were prepared and eaten in a manner that tends to reduce intake of contaminants. Most anadromous fish and shellfish were obtained by harvesting in the Puget Sound area (rather than by purchasing), though sources of the harvest varied between tribes.
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