05-11-2011, 12:10 AM
[cool][#0000ff]The best advice I can offer is to never take the advice of others without doing your own "due diligence". There are various published reports on the water quality of Utah Lake but there are still some lingering concerns about the terrible abuse suffered by the lake back in the days of Geneva Steel...and it was ugly. I am attaching one of the chapters I am putting together on Utah lake that touches on the former contamination and at least one of the published reports of more recent water studies.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]In a nutshell, Utah Lake is probably cleaner and safer for fish consumption than many of our more[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]"pristine" mountain lakes...especially in terms of mercury pollution. Utah Lake HAS NO MERCURY PROBLEM...but that is what a lot of people cite when they talk about fish contamination from that pond. In tests on all species of fish from Utah Lake, NONE were found to contain elevated levels of mercury. [url "http://www.fishadvisories.utah.gov/"]UTAH FISH ADVISORIES[/url][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]On the other hand, both carp and large channel cats were found to contain levels of PCBs above an arbitrarily established "safe" level...and the standard advisories were put in place. i.e. no pregnant women are supposed to catch carp or catfish on Utah Lake and eat more than 10 pounds per meal...or whatever. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]There are no warnings about bullhead cats, white bass, walleyes, crappies, bluegills or perch.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]And, if you are still concerned, there are ways of preparing even large catfish to remove a high percentage of accumulated PCBs. The main locations are in the guts and in the fatty tissues. Properly filleting, removal of red oily flesh and innards and deep frying will all remove a great deal of the PCB. Ditto for smoking. [/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]I and several other concerned Utah Lake fans on the board have continuosly tried to find more information on what actually constitutes "safe" levels of PCBs in fish...and what would be the expected consequences of somebody over-consuming fish with such elevated levels. Everything I have found is suitably vague.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]Utah Lake is not the "Love Canal". It is not a toxic waste dump and has been greatly improved over the last decade plus since Geneva Steel shut down. It is a shallow lake and gets heavy natural flushes each year...leaving only traces of former nastiness in the deepest levels of sediment.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]If it were not for the heavy population of carp, Utah Lake would be a much cleaner and clearer water, with more of the natural aquatic vegetation to both provide good nursery habitat for other species and to help continuously clean and refresh the water.[/#0000ff]
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[signature]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]In a nutshell, Utah Lake is probably cleaner and safer for fish consumption than many of our more[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]"pristine" mountain lakes...especially in terms of mercury pollution. Utah Lake HAS NO MERCURY PROBLEM...but that is what a lot of people cite when they talk about fish contamination from that pond. In tests on all species of fish from Utah Lake, NONE were found to contain elevated levels of mercury. [url "http://www.fishadvisories.utah.gov/"]UTAH FISH ADVISORIES[/url][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]On the other hand, both carp and large channel cats were found to contain levels of PCBs above an arbitrarily established "safe" level...and the standard advisories were put in place. i.e. no pregnant women are supposed to catch carp or catfish on Utah Lake and eat more than 10 pounds per meal...or whatever. [/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]There are no warnings about bullhead cats, white bass, walleyes, crappies, bluegills or perch.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]And, if you are still concerned, there are ways of preparing even large catfish to remove a high percentage of accumulated PCBs. The main locations are in the guts and in the fatty tissues. Properly filleting, removal of red oily flesh and innards and deep frying will all remove a great deal of the PCB. Ditto for smoking. [/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]I and several other concerned Utah Lake fans on the board have continuosly tried to find more information on what actually constitutes "safe" levels of PCBs in fish...and what would be the expected consequences of somebody over-consuming fish with such elevated levels. Everything I have found is suitably vague.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]Utah Lake is not the "Love Canal". It is not a toxic waste dump and has been greatly improved over the last decade plus since Geneva Steel shut down. It is a shallow lake and gets heavy natural flushes each year...leaving only traces of former nastiness in the deepest levels of sediment.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]If it were not for the heavy population of carp, Utah Lake would be a much cleaner and clearer water, with more of the natural aquatic vegetation to both provide good nursery habitat for other species and to help continuously clean and refresh the water.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[signature]