05-01-2007, 08:56 PM
You make a good point FG. The difficult part of this is trying to put everything into a context that makes sense. I deal with water quality on a daily basis and it is similar. We find all kinds of "stuff" in the water at extremely low concentrations (a few parts per billion). We know that it often will bioaccumulate in humans, and that many of these contaminants will cause real problems at high enough concentrations, but what is not known is how long it will take to be a significant problem in a particular individual. So when I find a contaminated well, I try to educate the owner on the risks and then leave it to them to decide. Some will say they don't want to drink any at all, and others will say that for the small quantities involved it is not an issue for them.
With fish, some factors will include how often and how much fish is consumed, whether cooking will volatilize the particular contaminant or make it worse, and the overall health of the individual doing the eating. I'm sure there are more that I am not mentioning.
So my approach is C&R sometimes, catch and eat sometimes and enjoy life while I can. I try not to drink water or eat fish that I know is contaminated beyond what is safe. I have seen the discussions on the Utah board and I would have to read more and think about some of those places before I ate the fish. I would question whether eating a few fish a year out of Utah Lake poses a significant health hazard. I know some groups make those fish a staple part of their diet and that likely would be a problem.
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With fish, some factors will include how often and how much fish is consumed, whether cooking will volatilize the particular contaminant or make it worse, and the overall health of the individual doing the eating. I'm sure there are more that I am not mentioning.
So my approach is C&R sometimes, catch and eat sometimes and enjoy life while I can. I try not to drink water or eat fish that I know is contaminated beyond what is safe. I have seen the discussions on the Utah board and I would have to read more and think about some of those places before I ate the fish. I would question whether eating a few fish a year out of Utah Lake poses a significant health hazard. I know some groups make those fish a staple part of their diet and that likely would be a problem.
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