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Natural Resources Board Acknowledgements: Preston D. Cole, Chair Wisconsin Department of Health Services - Terry N. Hilgenberg, Vice-Chair Division of Public Health Gregory Kazmierski, Secretary Great Lakes Fish Advisory Task Force William Bruins Christine L. Thomas Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources staff Jane Wiley Gary Zimmer Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Cathy Stepp, Secretary Matt Moroney, Deputy Secretary Scott Gunderson, Executive Assistant The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources provides equal opportunity in its employment, programs, services, and functions under an Affi rmative Action Plan. If you have any questions, please write to Equal Opportunity Offi ce, Department of Interior, Washington, D.C. 20240. This publication is available in alternative format (large print, Braille, audiotape etc.) upon request. Please call 608/267-7498 for more information. Designed by L. Pohlod Choose wisely ng fish in Wi r eati scon de fo sin gui lth ea Page h Background information .........................................................................1-7 A How to use this advisory ...............................................................................................8 Statewide Safe-eating guidelines ........................................................................................................................9 Exceptions due to mercury ....................................................10-15 Exceptions due to PCBs & other chemicals ..............................................................................................16-34 PCB For more info ..............35 PCB Mercury he information in this brochure will Benefits of eating your catch Thelp you plan how much fi sh you can safely eat. This information is not Fishing is a great tradition and a fun However, fi sh may take in pollutants intended to discourage you from eating way to spend outdoors. Eating your from the water they live in and the food fi sh, but to help you select fi sh that are catch can be part of a healthy, balanced they eat. Some pollutants can build up low in contaminants. diet. Fish are generally low in unhealthy in the fi sh to levels that can be harmful saturated fat, high in protein, and to fi sh consumers – including humans. contain a number of vitamins and You can get the health benefi ts of fi sh minerals. Fish are also a primary food while reducing unwanted contaminants source of healthy fats – omega-3 fatty by following this advisory. You and acids. Studies suggest that omega-3 your family should determine the fatty acids are essential for brain type and amount of fi sh you eat and and nerve functions and modest compare that to the advice in this consumption of fi sh containing omega- guide. After consulting the advisory, 3s may lower the risk of heart disease in you may want to eat different species adults. Many doctors suggest eating 1 of fi sh, eat fi sh from different waters, to 2 meals of fi sh each week can benefi t or space fi sh meals farther apart. your health but little additional benefi t is gained by eating more than that. Wisconsin is rich in water resources. Fish testing sites There are nearly 15,000 lakes and Wisconsin’s fi sh collection and 32,000 miles of rivers located within testing program is frequently the state, as well as Lakes Michigan adjusted to meet changing needs. and Superior and the Mississippi River New sites are tested each year, on its borders. Since testing began, along with some previously over 1700 sites have been tested. The tested waters to determine state focuses its sampling program in: trends in contaminant levels. waters with known or suspected pollution; lakes that may be susceptible to mercury contamination; popular angling waters; waters where changes with time are being tracked. You can still eat fi sh from waters that the state has not yet tested. Just follow the guidance on page 9. 1 Advice - statewide and special exceptions “ eople should put their consumption P habits in context with the advice Wisconsin’s fi sh consumption advice Wisconsin’s fi sh consumption advice found in this brochure. Most people is a recommendation on how many is based on the work of public health, will fi nd they do not have to drastically meals of fi sh you and your children water quality and fi sheries experts alter their current fi sh-eating habits.” may safely eat. The recommended from eight Great Lakes states and the - Dr. Henry Anderson Wisconsin Division of Health number of meals for a given length Canadian province of Ontario. Based of time (weekly, monthly, or yearly) on the best available scientifi c evidence, is based on the contaminant levels these scientists determined how much found in fi sh and may vary by location fi sh is safe to eat over a lifetime based and by type and size of the fi sh. on the amount of contaminants found in the fi sh and how those Because fi sh from most waters contain contaminants affect human health. mercury, statewide safe-eating Health offi cials considered a range of guidelines provide the same advice possible health risks such as cancer, for most inland waters. However, hormonal and immune system effects, there are special exceptions to the but placed the most weight on healthy statewide safe-eating guidelines development of babies and children. for locations where higher levels of contaminants have been found in fi sh. 2 CBs have been shown to cause Contaminants of concern cancer in animals. The risk P Two main contaminants are responsible Contaminants such as PCBs and of developing cancer as a result for fi sh advisories in Wisconsin. They mercury build up in your body over of eating contaminated fi sh is are polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) time. It may take months or years very small and varies depending and mercury. These contaminants of frequently eating contaminated on your genetic susceptibility differ in where they come from, fi sh before health problems become and general health, and on the where they accumulate in fi sh, and a concern. Health problems that amount of contaminated fi sh how they affect human health. have been linked to PCBs and eaten over a lifetime. Using mercury range from effects that are methods developed by the U.S hard to detect like poor balance or Environmental Protection Agency problems with memory, to a slight (EPA), it is estimated that if 10,000 increase in your risk of a more serious people ate PCB-contaminated disease like diabetes or cancer. fi sh over their lifetimes and followed this advisory, no more Other contaminants of concern at a than one additional cancer few locations in Wisconsin are dioxins case would be expected. and perfl uorooctance sulfonate (PFOS). 3 Contaminant PCBs Mercury What is it? Polychlorinated biphenyls(PCBs) are synthetic (man-made) Mercury occurs in the environment naturally and as a result Where does substances that were used in the manufacture of electrical of human activity. It is released into the air when rocks erode, it come from? transformers, carbonless papers, cutting oils, and hydraulic fl uids. volcanoes erupt and soils decompose. It is also released into the Manufacture of PCBs was banned in the US in 1979. However, air when power plants burn coal, incinerators burn mercury- because PCBs are slow to break down in the environment, they containing waste and during the production of other chemicals. remain a problem. Airborne mercury attaches itself to water and dust particles and enters lakes and other waters in rain, snow and runoff. What water PCBs released into the environment accumulate in sediments at the Mercury is found in all waters. Lakes and wetland areas are more bodies bottom of lakes and streams. The Great Lakes and rivers with heavy likely to contain bacteria which changes the mercury into a form contain the industrial use, are more likely to have PCB contaminated fi sh than that is easily absorbed by fi sh and other organisms. Therefore those contaminant? inland lakes. This is because industries associated with past PCB use waters tend to have fi sh with higher mercury concentrations. are often located on major rivers and Great Lakes tributaries. What types Fish absorb PCBs from contaminated sediments suspended in Walleyes and other larger, older predatory fi sh often contain of fi sh contain the water and from their food. The amount of PCBs found in fi sh relatively high mercury levels compared to smaller fi sh such as the most varies depending on species, age, size, fat content and diet. Larger bluegills, crappie and yellow perch, or smaller fi sh of the same contaminants? and older fi sh will contain more contaminants than smaller, species from the same lake or river. Fish absorb mercury directly younger fi sh. PCBs accumulate in the fat of fi sh. Therefore, fatty from water passing over their gills or by ingesting other mercury fi sh like carp and catfi sh may contain higher levels of PCBs. contaminated organisms. Where Fortunately you can reduce (not eliminate) the amount of PCBs in a Mercury accumulates throughout the fi sh, including the part that is it found fi sh meal by properly trimming, skinning and cooking your catch to you eat. Therefore, trimming, skinning, and cooking do not reduce in fi sh? reduce fatty tissue (page 16). mercury levels in fi sh. Cooking does not destroy PCBs but heat from cooking melts some of the fat in fi sh and allows some of the contaminated fat to drop away. Broil, grill or bake the trimmed, skinned fi sh on a rack so the fat drips away. Do not use the drippings to prepare sauce or gravies. What is Studies indicate that people exposed to PCBs are at greater risk Mercury affects the human nervous system. Mercury can its effect for a variety of health problems. Infants and children of women damage developing brains of children and may affect a child’s on human who have eaten a lot of contaminated fi sh may have lower birth behavior and ability to learn.

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