ERIE

Eating lots of Lake Erie fish can be hazardous, officials say

Northwestern Pennsylvania anglers who rely on Lake Erie fish to put food on their tables need to take heed of fish contamination warnings, state environmental officials said.

"Many of us who eat fish have it every now and then," said Erie Benedictine Sister Pat Lupo, director of the Glinodo Earth Force. "But we do have a group of people who use fish to supplement their everyday lives, subsistence anglers. That’s who we’re really concerned about."

Officials from the Pennsylvania Sea Grant and the Erie County Health Department say such anglers need to know how contaminated the fish may be and how much they can eat without worrying about health problems.

Bob Wellington, an aquatic biologist for the Erie County Health Department, said Pennsylvania’s advisories on contamination levels in Lake Erie fish should be more stringent, like those in Ohio that recommend eating yellow perch once a week.

"It’s really pathetic because there’s just not enough publicity out there," he said.

Pennsylvania tells fish lovers to avoid eating fish with 1.0 parts per million of contaminants. Other states set the cutoff at 0.5 parts per million. Wellington said that an angler who catches and eats two fish each with 0.7 parts per million of contaminants, he has exceeded the limit.

"They don’t tell the people that just because you eat one fish doesn’t mean you can eat two," Wellington said. Effects of too many contaminants can take years to manifest themselves, but young children and pregnant women should pay particular attention to warnings.

The Pennsylvania Sea Grant has printed 2,000 pamphlets since 1998 that show anglers how to properly cut and prepare fish to minimize health risks.

Roger Kenyon, a fisheries biologist with the state Fish and Boat Commission, said those pamphlets along with information provided with fish licenses should adequately educate anglers about health risks in eating a lot of fish.

"We encourage them to abide by the recommendations," Kenyon said. "Most people who do fish and eat fish are not putting themselves in harm’s way."