Social Impact Assessment of Mercury Contamination in Mobile River Basin
Dr. Hobson Bryan
University of Alabama Department of Geography
Coauthors: Misty Samya, Hendrik Snow, Kimberly Warner, Jean-Claude Bonzongo, Eric Roden, W. Berry Lyons, Milton Ward, and Indrajeet Chaubey

This reports the social assessment and public involvement dimension of a three-year research project concerning mercury in largemouth bass. An interdisciplinary research team in the Departments of Biology, Geology, and Geography at the University of Alabama is currently just completing an investigation of factors that control the movement of methyl mercury through the aquatic system of the primary rivers of the Mobile-Alabama River Basin. These factors include inputs from agricultural and urban land uses, impoundment of rivers, and wetland abundance. Findings of high mercury levels in some largemouth bass prompt concerns about human exposure to mercury, primarily through consuming contaminated fish.

The social assessment phase of the research focuses on identifying a full range of stakeholder groups to solicit prominent issues and suggest public policy approaches to controlling methyl mercury exposure. This project took a dual approach to public involvement through the social assessment process. As stakeholders, recreational fishermen (i.e., tournament bass anglers) participated in the data collection, a resident expert fisherman, knowledgeable about access sites and area land use along the waterways, advised project management. In addition, meetings on the topic were conducted with representatives of the power generation industry, environmental groups, the coal bed methane industry, and various state government agency officials. Thus, the process informed stakeholders about the research, solicited expert advice, and generated suggestions for policy response through meetings with a number of groups representing a range of interests and concerns about mercury levels.

As final project results are obtained, stakeholder groups will be informed and solicited for their advice and feedback. A particular challenge will be to reach such at-risk groups as minorities and the poor--who may not be in the information mainstream, yet who may be heavy consumers of fish from public waters--women of child-bearing age, those who are pregnant, and children. Information strategies will have to be addressed that inform the public on reasonable actions they can take to avoid harm from eating fish, while being cognizant of the concerns of various segments of the recreational fishing industry and other areas of the economy dependent on a healthy fishery.

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