Gone Fishing … but is Your Catch Safe to Eat?

(Page 2 of 2)

July 16, 2008
By Aubrey Vaughn 
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So How Do I Know Where to Fish?

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While every single state in the U.S. has dozens (and some have hundreds) of spots that are rated as impaired, the good news is that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and state and local governments have been working to clean up the waterways contaminated by these chemicals; and their efforts are paying off with waters that are progressively cleaner every year. And many lakes, rivers and coastal waters of the United States are home to fish that don’t contain dangerous levels of contamination — which means that all you need to know about what fish to eat is where to catch them.  

The best place to start is the EPA’s National List of Advisories, which includes federal, state and tribal fish advisories. You can easily search by state to find advisories for local fishing areas and find contact information for the your local authority (often a Fish & Wildlife agency, and a great way to make sure you get the most current information). Plus, you can request their brochure, Should I Eat the Fish I Catch?, which also includes tips for how to trim and cook fish to minimize health risks.

Happy fishing; and happy, healthy eating!

Have you ever had to throw back your catch because it was contaminated? Share you story by posting a comment below.

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Comments

  • bewild 7/27/2008 6:59:46 AM

    I once watched a documentary on TV way back in the late 70's or early 80's about whether fish caught in America's freshwaters were safe to eat. It was disturbing back then to learn how unhealthy most of our country's freshwater lakes and streams were, even in remote places. Imagine how they are today!

    However, they recommended that if you plan to eat any fish you catch, while cleaning it, examine the fish's liver. If it has dark spots on it, it probably has cancer, and is therefore not safe to eat.

    Online research of fish physiology will tell you what a fish's liver looks like.

  • plasmapal 7/25/2008 3:10:15 PM

    I work at one of three labs in the US where we actually measure how much mercury is in the water, soils, and critters for the US Fish and Wildlife Service, and have been doing so for over a decade. I do the actual measurements for many elements besides mercury as well, and I can tell you that our waterways and particularly our preserved areas are remarkably clean. We have done work for many other governmental agencies too, and we do come across areas that have been impacted by man, but for the most part our environment is actually getting cleaner. Feel free to contact me if you would like to come by the lab sometime and see what we do for yourselves.

  • Ana 7/23/2008 9:58:35 AM

    The governmental authorities as well as any business/industry that profits from fish are doing a pretty good cover up job as to how polluted our waters and fish really are. I would not eat anything out of any fresh body of water. And I would also be very careful as to what you eat out of the ocean. It's disgusting what greedy people do... but that is the wonderful world of capitalism.

  • Charlene 7/21/2008 12:34:17 PM

    In the past, the state of Michigan provided a free copy of its fish advisory whenever one purchased a fishing license. No more--this spring it took me close to 45 minutes and several phone calls to our DNR before I was able to connect with someone who actually went on a web site, printed off a copy of the advisory and mailed it to me. Apparently the state health department now handles the advisory, but fishing license purchasers are not informed of this fact or where they can find the information.

    Seems to me it should be MANDATORY for the advisory to be provided, for free, along with fishing licenses. Just another example of how polluting industries have bullied legislators into helping them hide their crimes from the public . . .

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