Bay Briefings - Public Health

Galveston Bay is one of the nation's most productive estuaries. It is estimated that seafood production generates an estimated $3.1 billion annually to our region's economy. The Bay supports one-third of the state's commercial fishing and over half of its recreational fishing. The bay is a popular place, and rightly so. Enjoying the bay, using it for our livelihoods, or consuming its fish or shellfish comes with some public-health risks. The Estuary Program works with state and federal agencies to understand, to publicize, and to minimize these risks. There are two main areas of risk: (1) exposure to pathogens (disease-causing organisms) through the consumption of oysters or by direct contact with contaminated waters, and (2) exposure to toxic substances through the consumption of contaminated fish or shellfish.