Striper - Contaminated Fish Warning
Just thought I'd post this info in case anyone is eating the Striper they catch at Silverwood.
Apparently there isn't a problem with them in the other local lakes that have them, at least I couldn't find any advisories on them.
Hard to believe that they would only be contaminated at Silverwood and not other reservoirs.
Anyway, here's the link on the info if you're interested;
https://oehha.ca.gov/media/downloads...lakeposter.pdf
When these tests are done, are they sampling the meat or organs? I remember talking to a biologist back in the day who said the testing procedure didn't make sense because of the tissue sample source not being what we actually eat
I'm pretty sure this warning has been around for years. I don't eat any fish, but I know many on here that do eat stripers from Silverwood. Perhaps somebody like Kwin could offer some clarity on this subject.Originally Posted by Fish Seeker
I think Kwin did comment on this before. If I remember right the build up of heavy metals is cumulative. Meaning the older larger fish will have the higher levels that are unsafe. Younger smaller fish will typically be ok, I want to say he said sub 5lbs on stripers, but I am not 100% sure
its been around for years and yet still hasnt seen or heard a life threatening to anyone yet, its mainly to fish that been there for 5+ years
Last edited by fishing_freak; 02-11-2019 at 02:33 PM.
The warnings are flawed IMO and based upon a small sample size of a few large/older fish. I am comfortable eating the predominant striped bass at Silverwood which are less than 3 lbs because they have not lived long enough to accumulate a harmful level of mercury as determined by State Water Quality Control Boards. I know of similar small size (aged) striped bass at another SoCal lake that recently tested below the harmful threshold that triggers warnings. Mercury is in all our lakes thanks to atmospheric deposition from coal burnt in China and residual gold mining in the sierras. It is a complicated series of events that causes the elemental mercury to uptake into the food web. Research and educate yourself on the subject to make an informed decision for yourself.
Last edited by kwin; 02-11-2019 at 09:26 PM.
Thank you for the information, KWIN. The next time my wife says she wants to go to Silverwood Lake to catch the (mostly little) Striped Bass from the docks, I guess we will go. I honestly suspected that was the case, but the stern "Don't eat Striped Bass" warnings for Silverwood I found to be rather off putting.
Last edited by Natural Lefty; 02-12-2019 at 08:49 PM.
Did a little research on this and that is crazy. I always wondered where the Hg came from. Kind of scary really.
Are you comfortable, theoretically, letting your wife (if of childbearing age) or young children eat them with the warning in place?
Frankly, I eat them from time to time, but do not let my wife/child eat them. Same with other species with significant bio accumulation, fresh or salt.
It's too bad since they are delicious and plentiful.
Voice of reason
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote