The State - News from Nov. 7, 1988

Some species of bottom-feeding ducks in San Francisco Bay may contain selenium levels nearly equal to those found in contaminated waterfowl at Kesterson National Wildlife Refuge, state officials said. A new state health warning placed in state hunting license booklets for the season that opened Oct. 22 advises strict limits or bans on eating scaup or surf scoters taken in San Francisco or San Pablo bays. The warning, which joins a 2-year-old state advisory against eating the two duck species in Suisun Bay, means that the birds are tainted from Pittsburg to San Jose. Scaup should be eaten only once a week and scoter once every two weeks, in portions of only 4 ounces, the health warning said. Women of child-bearing age and children 14 and younger should not eat any scaup or scoter.