Saginaw Bay Fish Advisory - Fertile Women, Kids Under 15 Should Avoid Eating 18"+ Walleye

[hatrack]

Saginaw Bay is brimming with walleye this spring, say professional anglers who fished here during a weekend walleye tournament. "The fishing is phenomenal," said Wisconsin angler Gary Parsons, who took second place in the inaugural Anglers Insight Marketing tournament. "I caught 30 to 40 (walleye) a day, and I could have caught more."

But for people who plan to eat walleye caught in Saginaw Bay this year, the Michigan Department of Community Health urges some caution.

According to the agency's 2008 Michigan Family Fish Consumption Guide, women of child-bearing age and children under age 15 should not eat any walleye from Saginaw Bay that measures more than 18 inches in length.

That's due to levels of PCBs, mercury and dioxins the fish may have absorbed while growing up in the bay. Walleye between 14 and 18 inches can be consumed once per month by women and children, according to the guide. For the general population, Saginaw Bay walleye can be eaten once per week, regardless of size. And there is no consumption limits for the general population for walleye between 14 and 18 inches long

EDIT

http://www.mlive.com/news/bay-city/index.ssf/2009/05/saginaw_bay_is_full_of_fish_bu.html

[billyoc]

1. By the time they get that big, they've been completely poisoned

from swimming in your drinking water.