Some fish consumption advice needed

[cruiser1234]

Hello all. Had a quick question and wanted some opinions. My brother in law has asked for a catfish for the table and I'm thinking of hitting up the D & R canal in the south Brunswick area. I was looking for thoughts on eating fish out of it. Any input is greatly appreciated. I would think its fine and when I searched it on the nj consumer advisory site it seemed like it was ok too.

[Ash]

Originally Posted by cruiser1234

Hello all. Had a quick question and wanted some opinions. My brother in law has asked for a catfish for the table and I'm thinking of hitting up the D & R canal in the south Brunswick area. I was looking for thoughts on eating fish out of it. Any input is greatly appreciated. I would think its fine and when I searched it on the nj consumer advisory site it seemed like it was ok too.

seeing as the canal provides drinking water to a large portion of central nj, i'd say you're okay as long as you follow the guidelines you've already looked at.

[AndyS]

If the fish LOOKS healthy I say go for it. If the fish has fuzzy fins, growths, sores, etc. I would say toss it into the woods.
You have the advantage, you get to see the fish up close and personal after it has been caught.

[ATH1089]

Originally Posted by AndyS

If the fish LOOKS healthy I say go for it. If the fish has fuzzy fins, growths, sores, etc. I would say toss it into the woods.
You have the advantage, you get to see the fish up close and personal after it has been caught.

Indeed. Moving water (streams, rivers, etc) are usually pretty clean, as contaminants are washed away regularly. But you should always consume on a fish-by-fish basis. They do not call it dirty Jersey for nothing.

[Wilson]

jmurr eats them and he's perfectly normal

[jmurr711]

Originally Posted by Wilson

jmurr eats them and he's perfectly normal

yeah! hey wait a minute!!!!!!!!!

[Eskimo]

.

Good question.
Page 15 of this advisory report will give you all the information you need about fish from the D&R canal.
http://www.state.nj.us/dep/dsr/2012-advisory-report.pdf

It looks like you should be fine with less than one meal per month if you're not a high risk individual.

Unfortunately, methyl mercury is ubiquitous here in New Jersey. The fish that have the highest levels of mercury and PCBs are the predators that live a long time and eat a lot of fish like bass and pickerel. Those toxins are trapped in small fish and passed up the food chain. The predators multiply the background levels of mercury thousands of times by eating hundreds of small fish in their lifetime.

I caused some controversy on the New Jersey Hunter forum a few years back when some guy was showing off pictures of all the Largemouth Bass he was taking home and feeding to his kids. I told him that those bass contained high levels of mercury and children, with their developing neurological systems, are far more sensitive to mercury contamination than adults. I told him that it was unethical to feed Largemouth bass to children because they can't understand the decision that is being made for them.

[acabtp]

Originally Posted by Eskimo

The fish that have the highest levels of mercury and PCBs are the predators that live a long time and eat a lot of fish like bass and pickerel. Those toxins are trapped in small fish and passed up the food chain. The predators multiply the background levels of mercury thousands of times by eating hundreds of small fish in their lifetime.

exactly... biomagnification.
and one more reason to like fast growing, hard fighting, clean living panfish!

[dogfish246]

Originally Posted by cruiser1234

Hello all. Had a quick question and wanted some opinions. My brother in law has asked for a catfish for the table and I'm thinking of hitting up the D & R canal in the south Brunswick area. I was looking for thoughts on eating fish out of it. Any input is greatly appreciated. I would think its fine and when I searched it on the nj consumer advisory site it seemed like it was ok too.

I personally wouldnt eat it. I always read/ was taught not to eat freshwater fish from NJ...

[acabtp]

Originally Posted by dogfish246

I personally wouldnt eat it. I always read/ was taught not to eat freshwater fish from NJ...

you're missing out buddy, there are plenty of places with delicious fish that are safe to eat. go find a pond with some clean perch in it you will thank yourself.