Eating bass, or other fish you catch. (PSA only)

[Woody B]

If you're going to eat bass, or any other fish you catch make sure there isn't any warnings.   Some lakes in both NC and SC have warning for various species.   I've been meaning to take a picture of this notice that posted at South Point landing on Lake Wylie.   If the text doesn't come through in the picture is basically says pregnant women or women of childbearing age, as well as children under 15 should eat largemouth bass from the lake.  All other people should limit themselves to a maximum of 2 servings per month.   The warnings on the state web site say "black bass" not Largemouth.   

 

[padlin]

GE killed the Housatonic in southern MA and probably into CT. The only good side to it is that as you aren't supposed to eat any of it's fish it's pretty much an undeclared catch and release river.

[TnRiver46]

All of our waters have warnings for different species. Most of them are for catfish and largemouth over 2 lbs. On watts bar it’s those fish plus some others like striper and sauger. I still eat them, there would probably be warnings on every single fish in the grocery store if corporate profit wasn’t involved. Farm raised fish often have higher contaminant levels than wild fish. This is mainly because they are fed nothing but ground up wild fish 

[gim]

Generally speaking, the smaller the fish, the less contaminants it will have in its filet.

[TnRiver46]

9 minutes ago, gimruis said:

Generally speaking, the smaller the fish, the less contaminants it will have in its filet.

What he said! Bioaccumulation 

[MickD]

I'm pretty sure there are some warnings on certain waters all over the country. 

[TnRiver46]

Our contaminants (that they know of) are mostly PCBs (poly chlorinated biphenols) and mercury. Seems like I heard the PCBs were used mainly in large machinery lubricants and last a very long time. Small concentrations are not dangerous but risk goes up the higher the amount. Most older larger  organisms have more time to bioaccumulate the contaminants and the same thing happens in humans. 
 

I figure if I eat so many locally caught fish that I get sick and die, then what a better life could I ask for? 

[A-Jay]

Are there any warnings out on the square fish at McDonald's ?

A-Jay

[TnRiver46]

1 minute ago, A-Jay said:

Are there any warnings out on the square fish at McDonald's ?

A-Jay

Hahaha! There definitely should be. You know it’s nasty if you’re putting cheese on it 

[gim]

18 minutes ago, TnRiver46 said:

Our contaminants (that they know of) are mostly PCBs (poly chlorinated biphenols) and mercury

The other chemical in some waterways now are PFAS/Perflorooctanoic acids. A couple of larger companies have been responsible for releasing these forever chemicals into our water and subsequently, it also ends up in the fish we eat. They are chemicals used to make heat and water resistant materials like Teflon, scotch guard, and gore Tex. 3M and DuPont are two of the companies that are responsible. These chemicals can cause a wide range of health related issues. DuPoint paid out a legal settlement for a whopping $671 million in 2017 to compensate victims of their chemical found in groundwater.

[TnRiver46]

Just now, gimruis said:

The other chemical in some waterways now are PFAS/Perflorooctanoic acids. A couple of larger companies have been responsible for releasing these forever chemicals into our water and subsequently, it also ends up in the fish we eat. They are chemicals used to make heat and water resistant materials like Teflon and gore Tex. 3M and DuPont are two of the companies that are responsible. They can also cause a wide range of health related issues. DuPoint paid out a legal settlement for a whopping $671 million in 2017 to compensate victims of their chemical found in groundwater.

Uh oh I think there’s a DuPont upstream of me haha. The pigeon river has been polluted by champion papermill in canton NC for a long long time, they send all the poison downstream across the border in TN and no longer have to worry about it……….

 

The pigeon was basically lifeless in the 80s with some black sludge all over the bottom. It is now premier smallmouth and hybrid/wiper fishing . Lots of walleye and trout too 

[1984isNOW]

4 hours ago, padlin said:

GE killed the Housatonic in southern MA and probably into CT. The only good side to it is that as you aren't supposed to eat any of it's fish it's pretty much an undeclared catch and release river.

You fish in MA? Know any good spots?

 

And there are some very nasty waters in MA - but I've still seen people keeping absolutely everything they catch- from the tiniest sunfish and bass to eel and catfish - all out of waters with drainpipes and government warnings on the fish. I've seen good fisheries go bad because of over harvesting- its freakin crazy!

[Woody B]

Everything from McDonalds should have a warning label.   

 

I have not doubt there's "stuff" in commercially available food.  I suspect the farm raised stuff is full or growth hormones and anti-biotics.  I wonder about radiation level in pacific seafood since the Fukushima nuclear disaster.   

 

I just started this thread so people wouldn't think they were eating "clean natural" food since they were eating stuff they had caught.   

[fin]

10 hours ago, Woody B said:

If the text doesn't come through in the picture is basically says pregnant women or women of childbearing age, as well as children under 15 should eat largemouth bass from the lake.

 

Actually it says they should NOT eat from the lake. ?

 

7 hours ago, TnRiver46 said:

I figure if I eat so many locally caught fish that I get sick and die, then what a better life could I ask for? 

That's easy. A life where you catch a bunch of locally caught fish, and don't get sick because of them.

 

Seriously though, none of us really know what we're being exposed to and what it's doing to us, and it's impossible to avoid it. Here's a case where they have proof, so I'll listen to them. If I was starving, it would be different.

 

Most states have websites that provide information on the safety of fish in particular areas.

[GRiver]

It’s scary what happening the world, at an alarming rate.

[Mobasser]

9 hours ago, A-Jay said:

Are there any warnings out on the square fish at McDonald's ?

A-Jay

There should be a warning A-Jay. Made from only the finest river gar available.

We have warnings on some larger lakes here in Missouri also. These lakes are flooded farm land. The farm fields were sprayed with chemicals for years before they were flooded.                                              Around here, most of the warnings are for catfish.Bass and crappie not so much.

[galyonj]

10 hours ago, A-Jay said:

Are there any warnings out on the square fish at McDonald's ?

 

 

That ain't even fish. It's chupacabra meat.

[MN Fisher]

7 minutes ago, galyonj said:

 

That ain't even fish. It's chupacabra meat.

But chupacabra drink blood....like a vampire.

 

Far as eating fish, I do keep some for eating, but just about every lake in MN has levels of Mercury, PCBs, PFAs and Dioxins - though the levels are lower than most of the country, the MN Dept of Health recommends limiting your intake.

 

Smaller (younger) fish have lower levels just because they've had less time to accumulate.

[Johnbt]

That sign is so old I googled the guy's name for the heck of it. Jeff Engel was NC State Health Director from 2009 to 2012.

[Bluebasser86]

Lots of warnings on the waters around here. The Kansas River is one of the most polluted waters in the country and people still bring in big flatheads and blues and eat them. I point out the signs and always get the "I've been eating them for years and it hasn't killed me yet!". I usually just tell them that cancer typically takes more than a couple days to kill you ?‍♂️ 

[MN Fisher]

1 minute ago, Bluebasser86 said:

I usually just tell them that cancer typically takes more than a couple days to kill you

Ya - it can take years for it to show up.

 

The worst is the mercury - known to affect children's brains much more than adult's. If they're feeding their kids that....

[Bluebasser86]

Just now, MN Fisher said:

Ya - it can take years for it to show up.

 

The worst is the mercury - known to affect children's brains much more than adult's. If they're feeding their kids that....

Oh yeah, they're always catching all the fish they can to fill the freezer for a fish fry! 

 

I knew one guy who told me it didn't effect him, except he couldn't hear anything and he couldn't taste anything (pre Covid). You just can't help some people. 

[Drawdown]

In Tennessee at least they’ve done long-term panel studies tracking consumption and health outcomes. Results were decidedly inconclusive even among those who consumed regularly, above recommended amounts.

[Bankc]

We've got warnings for just about all of our lakes around here.  The problem is, the warnings aren't physically posted at the lakes.  You have to go online and actively seek it out.  There's not even a link to it on the official web page (department of wildlife) for these lakes nor the secondary city run web pages.  You have to dig into the Department of Environmental Quality's website to find the PDF.  Which means even a Google search won't show the information directly.  

[TnRiver46]

8 minutes ago, Bankc said:

We've got warnings for just about all of our lakes around here.  The problem is, the warnings aren't physically posted at the lakes.  You have to go online and actively seek it out.  There's not even a link to it on the official web page (department of wildlife) for these lakes nor the secondary city run web pages.  You have to dig into the Department of Environmental Quality's website to find the PDF.  Which means even a Google search won't show the information directly.  

We’ve got signs at the access points. They have bullet holes in them but most are legible baha