# Steelhead Warning!



## Steelheadquarters (Aug 29, 2006)

Just talked with Tom Henry of the Toledo Blade and he gave me permission to post this article just printed on the 1st; Thought you would like to know...

*Contaminants in Steelhead Trout Prompt Warning*
By Tom Henry, The Blade, Toledo, Ohio 
Mar. 1--Steelhead trout caught from Lake Erie tributaries should not be eaten more than once a month now, according to updated fish-consumption advisories to be released starting today with 2007 Ohio fishing licenses. 
The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency's annual update, based largely on tissue samples from 318 fish, does not substantially change basic advice anglers have been given for years to avoid overexposure to cancer-causing polychlorinated biphenyls, or PCBs, as well as mercury and other contaminants that pollute the state's water bodies. 
The enhanced trout advisory applies to Lake Erie tributaries in Lucas, Ottawa, Sandusky, Erie, Cuyahoga, Lake, Lorain, and Ashtabula counties, the state agency said. 
In general, people are advised to limit consumption of Ohio fish to once a week agency spokesman Linda Oros said. 
Some waterways, though, such as North Toledo's Ottawa River, have longstanding Ohio Department of Health advisories that warn people not to eat any fish caught from them. 
Others, such as the Cuyahoga and Ohio rivers, have several species of fish that should not be eaten more than once every two months. 
The advisories are based on a variety of factors that include average body fat and contaminants in fish tissue. 
To minimize risk, cooks are advised to cut away fat and broil or bake instead of fry. 
Much of today's water pollution, especially mercury, falls from the sky and settles on rivers, lakes, and streams after getting into the atmosphere from coal-fired power plants and other industrial sources as well as vehicle exhausts. 
Some pollutants, though, are so hardy they have remained embedded in sediment. Certain industrial water discharges were banned under the federal Clean Water Act of 1972. 
One bright spot: Sunfish and yellow perch are now deemed safe to eat twice a week under the new advisories. 
The drawback: Fishermen have reported a steady decline in Lake Erie's yellow perch for years. 
Advisories fluctuate from region to region. 
Brown bullhead, for example, are generally safe to eat twice a week in northwest Ohio. 
But in parts of northeast Ohio, they're so polluted they should not be consumed more than once every two months, Ms. Oros said. 
For more specifics, residents are advised to check with local health departments, the state EPA, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, and Women, Infant, and Children centers. 
Contact Tom Henry at: [email protected] or 419-724-6079. 
Copyright (c) 2007, The Blade, Toledo, Ohio


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## JIG (Nov 2, 2004)

After all the zebras have done up there!?


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## elkhtr (Oct 23, 2006)

Fortunately/Unfortunately?? -a good reason to release most of the steelhead to fight another day so others can catch'em too.


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## liquidsoap (Oct 22, 2005)

That sounds like great news for us C & R fisherman.
But its really not, I highly doubt people will stop keeping them. Most people who keep them will never see this article and I doubt they would even care about it.
I am just glad they dont taste very good. We would have a couple more maumees on our hand.


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## WISH IT WAS YOU (Jul 25, 2006)

JIG said:


> After all the zebras have done up there!?


ya i thought they helped clean the water up their o a good degree but what can i say wow this sucks i mean i dont eat many steel head prob 2 every year but this is going to throw some of these charter biss out this giting badfive the vhs flu in the fish now this


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## joel_fishes (Apr 26, 2004)

I thought the suggestion has been 1 fish a month for a while.

Joel


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## MEISTERICS (May 15, 2006)

for at the very least 7 years


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## Steel Cranium (Aug 22, 2005)

They are one of the fattiest fish in Erie, so my assumption has always been much less than the once a month suggestion. I'm lucky to have one a year, since there are so many better fish to eat. If a rather lean fish like a walleye has restrictions, the steelhead must be much worse. Baking on a rack or grilling are probably the best methods for safe cooking, since the fat drips away from the meal.


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## eatwhatyoukeep (May 2, 2005)

Steel Cranium is right according to what I have read. Mercury is stored in a fish's muscles so there is no way to reduce it. PCBs are stored in the fish's fat and since steelhead are a fatty fish they would stored more. You can help a little by skinning the fish and cutting out the fattiest part around the back and stomach.


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## Whaler (Nov 16, 2004)

Wish it was you, HUH?


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## BuzzBob (Apr 10, 2004)

I only eat fish (sandwiches) from McDonalds


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## Steelheadquarters (Aug 29, 2006)

BuzzBob said:


> I only eat fish (sandwiches) from McDonalds



LMAO BuzzBob! That's Great!


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## snag (Dec 27, 2005)

not to knock micky d,s fish sandwich,but did you know it,s haddock,part of the cod family,and i saw a article that it,s one of the contanamated fish in the ocean,along with several others.


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