06-24-2008, 11:54 AM
[cool][#0000ff]The short answer is YES...you can safely eat most of the fish from Utah Lake. Carp and larger channel cats are the two main species that were found to have higher concentrations of PCBs. And, the warning level for human consumption of PCBs is much lower than federal levels for sale and consumption of fish commercially.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Most people look at Utah Lake and are turned off by the color...sometimes a sick green...often an ugly brown. It is shallow and gets roiled up fast when the wind blows. Also, the overpopulation of carp in the lake muddy it up a lot too. But, the chemical composition of the lake is not that bad...much safer in fact than some of our pristine mountain lakes that are contaminated with arsenic or mercury from mining or natural mineral deposits.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]White bass, walleyes, crappies and bluegills are all rated well under the "safe levels" on contamination. Most people do not eat carp, so they are not a concern to most Utahans...at least for eating. The channel cats, however, are popular both for angling and for consumption. As an oily fleshed fish, they tend to retain the PCBs in oils of their tissues. However, proper cleaning and cooking can eliminate a high percentage of the oils and PCBs.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]As has been stated, whole families in Utah have lived on fish from Utah Lake for generations. I have asked everybody I know, and consulted with several agencies on the matter, and there are no identifiable cases of illness attributable to the consumption of Utah Lake fish. Nobody is getting organ or tissue damage, cancers or lesions or developing extra limbs or glowing in the dark.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]A "prudent" person should not want to ingest anything that is potentially harmful to their bodies. However, my contention is that there are many other foods and "substances" we consume on a daily basis that have proven harmful effects...short term and long term. Yet we continue to use them until the first "warning signs". [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I was once approached at the cleaning station at Lincoln Beach by a "COF" (crusty old "fudd") who seemed totally grossed out watching me fillet some channel cats. He started ranting and raving about how he would NEVER eat any fish out of Utah Lake. But, while he was carrying on, he was smoking a cigarette and had a couple of coughing fits...spitting up some ugly looking stuff that looked like a piece of lung. I have thought about that a few times when people start their tirades about eating fish from Utah Lake. Okay, how healthy is your diet and lifestyle?[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]We have had a few discussions in the past about Utah Lake water quality. Here are a couple of links to past threads that you might find interesting.[/#0000ff]
[url "http://www.bigfishtackle.com/cgi-bin/gforum/gforum.cgi?post=404315;sb=post_latest_reply;so=ASC;forum_view=forum_view_collapsed;;page=unread#unread"][size 2]Utah Lake Legacy 3/30/08[/size][/url]
[size 1][black][size 2][url "http://www.bigfishtackle.com/cgi-bin/gforum/gforum.cgi?post=402997#402997"]Utah Lake Water Quality Report (2005) 3/25/08[/url][/size][/black] [/size]
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[#0000ff]Most people look at Utah Lake and are turned off by the color...sometimes a sick green...often an ugly brown. It is shallow and gets roiled up fast when the wind blows. Also, the overpopulation of carp in the lake muddy it up a lot too. But, the chemical composition of the lake is not that bad...much safer in fact than some of our pristine mountain lakes that are contaminated with arsenic or mercury from mining or natural mineral deposits.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]White bass, walleyes, crappies and bluegills are all rated well under the "safe levels" on contamination. Most people do not eat carp, so they are not a concern to most Utahans...at least for eating. The channel cats, however, are popular both for angling and for consumption. As an oily fleshed fish, they tend to retain the PCBs in oils of their tissues. However, proper cleaning and cooking can eliminate a high percentage of the oils and PCBs.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]As has been stated, whole families in Utah have lived on fish from Utah Lake for generations. I have asked everybody I know, and consulted with several agencies on the matter, and there are no identifiable cases of illness attributable to the consumption of Utah Lake fish. Nobody is getting organ or tissue damage, cancers or lesions or developing extra limbs or glowing in the dark.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]A "prudent" person should not want to ingest anything that is potentially harmful to their bodies. However, my contention is that there are many other foods and "substances" we consume on a daily basis that have proven harmful effects...short term and long term. Yet we continue to use them until the first "warning signs". [/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]I was once approached at the cleaning station at Lincoln Beach by a "COF" (crusty old "fudd") who seemed totally grossed out watching me fillet some channel cats. He started ranting and raving about how he would NEVER eat any fish out of Utah Lake. But, while he was carrying on, he was smoking a cigarette and had a couple of coughing fits...spitting up some ugly looking stuff that looked like a piece of lung. I have thought about that a few times when people start their tirades about eating fish from Utah Lake. Okay, how healthy is your diet and lifestyle?[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]We have had a few discussions in the past about Utah Lake water quality. Here are a couple of links to past threads that you might find interesting.[/#0000ff]
[url "http://www.bigfishtackle.com/cgi-bin/gforum/gforum.cgi?post=404315;sb=post_latest_reply;so=ASC;forum_view=forum_view_collapsed;;page=unread#unread"][size 2]Utah Lake Legacy 3/30/08[/size][/url]
[size 1][black][size 2][url "http://www.bigfishtackle.com/cgi-bin/gforum/gforum.cgi?post=402997#402997"]Utah Lake Water Quality Report (2005) 3/25/08[/url][/size][/black] [/size]
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