mercury in fish in any left

[lakermans]

http://www.environment.gov.sk.ca/Default.aspx?DN=90437caa-287b-4fa1-9217-8f5e5de1ad34

This should be posted everywhere maybe the bucket brigades might think twice on keeping everything. I can remember catching fish as a kid, at Brightwater,Zelma and the strap with a good old hook and bobber.

[gman51]

IMO Although there is no denying that mercury levels do exist in our waters here in Saskatchewan the ppm are extremely low in the species we have to offer. You would need to have a daily consumption for a very long time of some of the bigger fish that have been in the water for say  5-10 years to really show any kind of effects of mercury poisoning. I personally have been practicing selective harvesting for many years and Pretty sure I’m not alone.now a days most fisher people are aware of the data. But thx for the reminder.

[Drift Dodger]

http://www.environment.gov.sk.ca/Default.aspx?DN=90437caa-287b-4fa1-9217-8f5e5de1ad34 ...

Lakermans - Thanks for posting. Definitely shows older bigger fish = higher mercury levels. Also interesting how the mercury levels differ between water bodies as well as species.

[anglerbrian]

mercury occurs naturally in our soil as well but the biggest fish The ones most of us put back) will end up with the highest concentrations. Last Mountain and the Lenore lakes had some of the highest concentrations but still safe for the occasional feed. Not sure but I don't think they treat seed with mercury any more.

[Churchill River]

Myself, I haven't kept a Pike in 10 years, and always throw Walleye back that are 2 1/2 lbs or more.  I do eat my share of Perch, but I don't think mercury is much of a factor in them.  I know I am doing my body more harm by eating force fed/injected, etc....chicken, pork, beef vs
eating the Perch.

[WALL E GATOR]

So yes fish get mercury in them, and yes it can be in the fleshy meat part we, usually, eat. However most of the Heavy Metals concentrate in the Guts and Organs of the fish. So unless you are eating the whole fish, Sorry I know some Nationalities do this but you all gross me the F@#% Out, likely eating just the flesh of the fish is not going to have much affect. Some of the best lakes around here for Crappie have warnings for the Mercury levels found in them. Talked to one of the main fish biologists out here and he confirmed that the levels in the actual fleshy fillet are minimal compared to the levels in the guts, but they test the whole fish not just parts.

[brownfish]

So yes fish get mercury in them, and yes it can be in the fleshy meat part we, usually, eat. However most of the Heavy Metals concentrate in the Guts and Organs of the fish. So unless you are eating the whole fish, Sorry I know some Nationalities do this but you all gross me the F@#% Out, likely eating just the flesh of the fish is not going to have much affect. Some of the best lakes around here for Crappie have warnings for the Mercury levels found in them. Talked to one of the main fish biologists out here and he confirmed that the levels in the actual fleshy fillet are minimal compared to the levels in the guts, but they test the whole fish not just parts.

In Saskatchewan, it is only the flesh which is tested for mercury and reported on.  There are a few lakes here with exceptionally high Hg levels where regular consumption is not recommended for most species.

[WALL E GATOR]

In Saskatchewan, it is only the flesh which is tested for mercury and reported on.  There are a few lakes here with exceptionally high Hg levels where regular consumption is not recommended for most species.

seems like that would be a better indicator of if the fish are safe to eat or not by just testing the fillets etc. I wondered why they test the whole fish out here. the Fish Biologist I talked to kinda made it seem like they wanted to find mercury so they could report on it, but when pressed he said most of it was in the guts and if you didn't eat them then the levels they were reporting were exagerated for just the fillets. I have seen some, Nationalities-Cultures, that do eat the whole fish and it seemed that these were the people they were concerned with out here. 

[brownfish]

seems like that would be a better indicator of if the fish are safe to eat or not by just testing the fillets etc. I wondered why they test the whole fish out here. the Fish Biologist I talked to kinda made it seem like they wanted to find mercury so they could report on it, but when pressed he said most of it was in the guts and if you didn't eat them then the levels they were reporting were exagerated for just the fillets. I have seen some, Nationalities-Cultures, that do eat the whole fish and it seemed that these were the people they were concerned with out here.

That does seem backwards indeed.

I have never heard of that for other jurisdictions, but only know for certain what is done in Saskatchewan. All reports of Hg in fish tissue in Saskatchewan are in boneless skinless meat.

There have been a few cases of mercury poisoning here about 8 - 10 years ago after some lakes had elevated methyl mercury levels due to natural flooding events. Most of the Hg in Sask. waters is naturally occurring in the soil and becomes bioavailable after flooding events, although there have been some point source additions over the years as well, but most these are no longer ongoing.

Certain areas in the southern portion of the province have exceptionally high mercury and any lakes in these areas may also have high mercury in fish tissue, especially after any recent flooding events. In the north, there are some lakes which have high mercury all the time as a result of local geology. There are also those lakes which have had additional mercury from added from local metal mining/smelting operations, although most of these have seen Hg levels dropping over time since these operations were modernize.

Generally speaking it is the longer lived predatory fish here (walleye, sauger, lake trout and northern pike) which occasionally have mercury levels higher than safe consumption guidelines. It is best to check the posted guidelines and follow them for the waters listed to ensure Hg levels in local lakes do not exceed consumption guidelines in Saskatchewan.  All of this information and the way to interpret it is listed in the guidelines posted above.