Fishing Holes Post Mercury Warnings

BY DAVID DEMILLE ddemille@thespectrum.com June 20, 2009

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ST. GEORGE - With the weather heating up and more people hitting the
water, Utah health officials issued a reminder this week about mercury
levels in fish. Advertisement

Three popular fishing spots in Washington County are on the advisory
list, after traces of mercury found in some fish were considered unsafe.

While people who fish will see advisories posted on signs near the
water, mercury poisoning is rarely the biggest concern on a beautiful
day at the lake.

“We go fishing all the time, and we’re not worried about it,” said
Herman Jackson, Las Vegas, who was at Sand Hollow Reservoir with friends
Friday. “We’re here to relax.”

The advisories only address certain fish, eaten in certain amounts,
although children and pregnant women are advised not to eat any of the
largemouth bass found at Sand Hollow or Gunlock Reservoir, or the
rainbow trout found in the Upper Enterprise Reservoir.

Officials advise against adults eating more than two eight-ounce
servings of either bass per month, or one eight-ounce serving of the
trout. An eight-ounce serving is roughly the size of two decks of cards.

Additional advisories could come later in the season, as not all Utah
water bodies have been tested, but the main fishing spots in Southern
Utah have been tested, said David Heaton, spokesperson for the Southwest
Utah Public Health Department.

“Almost half of the spots on the list are from our five-county
district,” he said.

For the past eight years, the state has tested 192 streams and rivers
and 69 lakes and reservoirs, issuing advisories in 15 of those spots.

Although the Southwest district has not actually seen any cases of
mercury poisoning, the advisories serve as an important step toward
prevention, Heaton said. He added that people shouldn’t see the
advisories as a warning to stop eating fish - it offers a good source of
protein with low amounts of saturated fat - but as a reminder to pay
attention to what kinds of fish they eat, and how often.

“We’re not telling people to stay away from fish,” he said. “We’re just
saying to look out for these particular kinds of fish, and follow the
advisories.”

Mercury is a naturally occurring element, but can be converted into
methylmercury by bacteria in certain waterways. It then builds up in the
tissue of fish, and becomes more pronounced as the mercury moves up
through the food chain. Advertisement

As one fish is eaten by another, which is in turn eaten by another, the
concentration of mercury increases - a process called
“bio-accumulation.” Once those levels increase enough, it can become
toxic for humans to eat too much.

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, methylmercury
poisoning is most likely to affect the central nervous system or
kidneys, although it can cause numerous health concerns. Women who are
pregnant or who might become pregnant, nursing mothers and young
children are the groups most susceptible to the effects.

Health officials report no health risks associated with other
recreational uses of reservoirs, such as swimming, boating or fishing
for sport, like Candice Sudweeks, Bloomington, who was at Sand Hollow
with five children Friday.

“We mostly come here because the kids can swim,” she said. “(The fish
advisories) not a big concern for us because we catch and release.”