Multidigits
09-19-2005, 09:42 AM
"Fish are fun to catch, and are a wonderful food," says Benjy Kinman, director of fisheries for Kentucky's Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources.
But when they come from the Ohio River, are they safe to eat?
That depends, according to a joint advisory last week from the fish and wildlife department, the Kentucky Department for Public Health and the Kentucky Division of Water that spells out how many of certain types of fish are recommended for eating, per month or year.
For example, authorities recommend that women of childbearing age and children not eat any paddlefish or large channel catfish from the Ohio because of concerns about mercury and PCBs. But for other people, six meals a year are considered safe, officials said.
The warnings, which mirror those released last year, cover bass, sauger, crappie and several other fish. Kentucky also has statewide warnings for mercury in fish.
Despite the health cautions, officials were upbeat in their announcement.
Kinman, for example, noted that the fish are low in fat and full of protein.
And Dr. William D. Hacker, commissioner of public health, said, "Levels of some contaminants have decreased to the point that many kinds of fish are now safer to eat at the advised frequency. For example, chlordane levels have decreased over the years and (chlordane) has been removed as a contaminant of concern."
Chlordane was used as a pesticide in the United States from 1948 to 1988, when it was banned by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
The Rev. Louis Coleman, whose Justice Resource Center advocates for a cleaner environment, said he used to regularly fish in the Ohio River but has stopped in recent years because of his concerns about pollution.
David Fint, a bass fisherman from Frankfort, also said he doesn't eat the fish he catches in the Ohio, and he doesn't know many people who do.
He said he has always heard that they're not safe, although he said they typically appear to be in good health. "They are good, strong fish, as any river fish would be," he said.
But in part, he said, he practices "catch-and-release" fishing because it helps sustain fish populations.
But when they come from the Ohio River, are they safe to eat?
That depends, according to a joint advisory last week from the fish and wildlife department, the Kentucky Department for Public Health and the Kentucky Division of Water that spells out how many of certain types of fish are recommended for eating, per month or year.
For example, authorities recommend that women of childbearing age and children not eat any paddlefish or large channel catfish from the Ohio because of concerns about mercury and PCBs. But for other people, six meals a year are considered safe, officials said.
The warnings, which mirror those released last year, cover bass, sauger, crappie and several other fish. Kentucky also has statewide warnings for mercury in fish.
Despite the health cautions, officials were upbeat in their announcement.
Kinman, for example, noted that the fish are low in fat and full of protein.
And Dr. William D. Hacker, commissioner of public health, said, "Levels of some contaminants have decreased to the point that many kinds of fish are now safer to eat at the advised frequency. For example, chlordane levels have decreased over the years and (chlordane) has been removed as a contaminant of concern."
Chlordane was used as a pesticide in the United States from 1948 to 1988, when it was banned by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
The Rev. Louis Coleman, whose Justice Resource Center advocates for a cleaner environment, said he used to regularly fish in the Ohio River but has stopped in recent years because of his concerns about pollution.
David Fint, a bass fisherman from Frankfort, also said he doesn't eat the fish he catches in the Ohio, and he doesn't know many people who do.
He said he has always heard that they're not safe, although he said they typically appear to be in good health. "They are good, strong fish, as any river fish would be," he said.
But in part, he said, he practices "catch-and-release" fishing because it helps sustain fish populations.