Three more lakes will have advisories posted after the Department of Natural Resources tests found mercury in fish swimming in them.
D.N.R. chief of fisheries,Joe Larscheid, says they test fish annually the tests came back positive for largemouth bass in the three areas. He says Grade Lake in Clarke County, Red Haw Lake in Lucas County and the Upper Centerville Reservoir in Appanoose County, all exceeded mercury levels that require them to put out a consumption advisory.
Larschied says the advisory doesn’t mean you can’t eat fish from these lakes. Larschied says the advisory says you should limit consumption of fish to one meal per week from these areas.
There are also other restrictions listed on the D.N.R. website if you are pregnant or have other medical conditions. The three additions bring the total number of fish consumption advisories to 14.
He says they re-test each year and the 11 that were on the list are still on the list, some for mercury, and some for P-C-B.
Larschied says the testing is a precaution and just a small number of lakes and rivers are singled out. “The bottom line is, in general, Iowa fish are safe to eat, and we want to encourage people to go out and fish,” Larschied says.
He says overall it is healthier to eat fish than to avoid eating them. Larschied says the mercury levels in Iowa fish are below those found in other states. The D.N.R. has information on consumption advisories on its “ Fish and Fishing” webpage .