CALIFORNIA, Md. — For generations, the Chesapeake Bay has provided Maryland tables with blue crabs, oysters, rockfish and other local favorites. But not everything pulled from the Bay and its tributaries should be eaten without limits.
According to the Maryland Department of the Environment, certain fish and shellfish can accumulate contaminants such as polychlorinated biphenyls, mercury, pesticides and perfluorooctane sulfonate, or PFOS. Other seafood may carry disease-causing microorganisms if it is harvested from contaminated water or eaten raw.
The following five choices carry some of the state’s strongest consumption warnings or present recognized food-safety risks.
1. Blue Crab “Mustard” From Contaminated Waters
Some Maryland crab eaters consider the substance commonly called “mustard” a delicacy, but its safety can depend on where the crab was caught…