Thread: Another reason not to eat 'trophy' fish...

World record striped bass had elevated mercury levels: Should fishermen be concerned?

World record striped bass had elevated mercury levels: Should fishermen be concerned? (Joe's Outdoor Office) | AL.com

The average mercury concentration among three samples of muscle tissue was 1.02 ± 0.12 micrograms of mercury per gram of wet tissue, or parts per million (ppm). This concentration is 3.4 times higher than the 0.3 ppm threshold set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency that triggers consumption advisories. The Alabama Department of Public Health (ADPH) advises that fish having concentrations between 0.48 and 0.97 ppm should be consumed at a frequency limited to one meal per month. Fish having mercury higher than 0.97 ppm are in the "no consumption" category.

One thing that Brooke, Hughes and Guarisco do agree on is this. Don't eat really large fish. Catch and release the big ones and eat the smaller ones. "Guarisco went on to say, "Don't be afraid to eat fish caught in Alabama waters. Eat the smaller fish or small portions of the larger ones.

Where would you draw the line between "big" and "small" kings? Not that I have to worry about catching really big kings, although accidents have been known to happen.

I would say anywhere that there is room for you magic marker .

Originally Posted by Haywire

Where would you draw the line between "big" and "small" kings? Not that I have to worry about catching really big kings, although accidents have been known to happen.

Nothing new really:
As far as the MR limits and ADEM advisories are concerned the 'magic' numbers would be:
24" FL = minimum size you can keep (about 4#)
24"-33" FL = no advisory on consumption (33" = about 10#)
33"-39" FL = limited consumption (39" = about 17#)
over 39" FL is not advised to consume.

So "small kings" 4-10# should be safe to eat.
"Medium kings" 10-17# should be OK to eat occasionally
"Large Kings" over 17# are not advisable to eat.

My conclusion is there are a LOT of sharks out there with mercury poisoning... lol

Barely keepers are the best eating size anyway...

My conclusion is there are a LOT of sharks out there with mercury poisoning... lol[/QUOTE]


i think your conclusion is correct!! lol