New Mercury Alert - Article

[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]More good news in the Trib this morning. The mercury thing keeps getting worse and more widespread as other tests are made.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff][url "http://www.sltrib.com/news/ci_5737675"]LINK TO ARTICLE[/url][/#0000ff]
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[bassrods]

In Jordanell how can it only be the browns what about the perch and bass they all eat the same things .....

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[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]They are all in the same ecosystem, with the same water chemistry. You would think that the fish would all be the same. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]The only thing I can think of is that the browns feed heavily on smaller fish...chubs and perch...and have oilier flesh to concentrate the buildup of mercury from the smaller fish they eat. Bass are not as oily.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Rainbows have oily flesh too, but also have a more varied diet, largely consisting of zooplankton and insects...as well as the perch.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Some studies are still not complete, so there might not be as much difference as we would think.[/#0000ff]
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[bassrods]

The rainbows are planted at a bigger size and not in the lake as long too...


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[Nica]

This is one of those times when I'm glad I suck at fishing. No consumption worries for me []
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[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]I suppose that is one way of putting a positive spin on a negative situation.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Reminds me of the good ol' boy who wants a quiet day in the shade of a nice little farm pond. To prevent having to deal with pesky fish, he purposely omits tieing on a hook or using any bait. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Me? I'd rather continue to enjoy the fishing and make my own decisions about what to do with those pestiferous fishies.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]The joke down along the lower Mississippi River, where there are lots of contaminants dumped into the water is "Night fishing is easy down here. The fish all glow in the dark."[/#0000ff]
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[leaky]

Dude or anyone else that may be able to answer:

Ive read the reports, etc. and fairly well understand the significance but still have a question. Can't seem to find any information on the Web sites so I'll ask here. I do a lot of fishing on the Weber River but not around Morgan. Am wondering if the location of Morgan being a concern for brown trout is because that's where they tested or did they test other locations on the Web.??? I Fish just below Echo and above Coalville. Should I assume that these areas are at risk but haven't been idntified because of no testing or what? Any help would be appreciated.
Leaky

[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]G[/#0000ff][#0000ff]enerally when a water is listed as being of concern, it will include most of that water, because all of the fish and invertebrates up and down the river get the same exposure. It is usually not cost effective to sample multiple areas along the river in hopes of different findings.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]And, as the article pointed out, it is not certain where the mercury is coming from. It could be natural absorbtion from the rocks in the area, contamination from mining or the result of airborne dust from sources many miles away. All they can tell with their tests is whether or not the fish have mercury and at what levels.[/#0000ff]
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[reelfast]

Is that gold they are smelting in northern Nevada really worth ruining our fish. That is where it comes from. Its time to stop it. Idaho has the same issues with the Owyhee area. It is getting worse not better. But no one wants to loose their presious gold industry.
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[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]It is common to point the finger of blame at gold miners, but they do not use mercury like they used to. Much of their gold recovery uses the cyanide process, with very efficient recycling of the chemicals involved. In the early days of gold prospecting , the panners and sluicers used mercury to slurp up the fine particles of gold and then evaporated it off over fires. But, again, modern methods are different.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Much of the methyl mercury that filters down on us out of the atmosphere comes from as far away as China. It is a common byproduct of the dirty air of coal fired utilities and manufacturing.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]There are also "background levels" of mercury all over the world...from natural occurance in our soils and from seawater.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Not too long ago there were tests for mercury conducted on fish samples in the Smithsonian Institute, from fish preserved way back in the 1800's. Some of them were found to have higher mercury levels than the same species taken in the same areas in more recent times.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Everybody has their pet theories. Nobody knows anything for an absolute certainty. That's why there is so much concern and so many different tests being conducted.[/#0000ff]
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[gshorthair]

One of the reasons that Jordanelle has such high levels of mercury is the mine tailings that the resevoir covers. Plus you have groud water from around the area carrying both mercury and selenium into the resevoir. If mercury increases as it moves through the food chain like pesticides do the top level predators would have the highest levels of concetration. That would also explain the high levels in the splake. gshorthair.
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[doggonefishin]

Leaky, I just reviewed the written report from the link provided in the article. They tested brown trout and a couple of whitefish in several locations on the Weber river. Only the Morgan site was above the limit. The Weber above Rockport and the "middle" tested out OK, as well as a testing done around Henefer. It would appear that the focus of contamination is only around Morgan, but not upstream.

TD, you and others may find it interesting to note that Utah lake was tested, and white bass, bullheads, channel cats, crappie, and walleye were all tested and found clean. The sample size was small though on CC, crappie, and walleye. (now to find out about the PCB's)

Bassrods, They tested perch, brown trout, and rainbows from Jordanelle. Smallies were not tested at this time. Perch were close to the limit, but not "statistically" in violation, bows were under it. ( I guess the testers are C&R bassers like everyone else)

It was interesting to see the waters that were tested and found clean. This is a problem that deserves our attention, and there will be more studies and more advisories, but it should also be noted that more waters so far are clean, than are contaminated.
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[CROSSINEYES]

some of you guys should start glowing very soon.lol
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[leaky]

Hey Bud, thanks a bunch. Could you provide the link??? I tried but couldn't seem to find that info. Would appreciate it. [] I'll look for it again.
Leaky

[bass_turd]

I am with Nica, I don't have a worry about consumption because I couldn't catch a fish if I was at a trout farm [crazy]. For once in my life, being bad at something is actually good. Yipieeeeeeeeee!!
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[doggonefishin]

Here is the link to the pdf file;
[url "http://health.utah.gov/epi/enviroepi/FishHgStatewide2007Final.pdf"]http://health.utah.gov/epi/enviroepi/FishHgStatewide2007Final.pdf[/url]



The upper Weber results are listed in Appendix B, table 19. Test sites were @Hoytsville, ab(ove) Rockport, and Henefer lagoons.

The Morgan results are in Appendix B, table 12.

The browns also tested high in the Weber river below US 191, but apparently not "statistically" high enough to warrant an advisory. (table 26)
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[leaky]

Thanks guy. []
Leaky

[road]

I'm glad I don't eat trout. Another reason to let them go for another days fisihng. Given time I will bet the perch along witth the other fish in Jordanelle will all be high in mercury. Well maybe not the perch they aren't in there long enough. At least i don't think they will be. But the Browns are native, Bows are plants, most Bass are C & R, perch and chubs are food. Hell if we worry about all the contamenats we have placed around the world and don't eat the food source we gonna starve! Look at the pig thing going on now. BTW what was sold to the pig farmers was supposed to have been destroyed when it was recalled from the pet food stores. But money talks and BS walks nothing new there. I must be getting cynical in my old age. Hey TD you up to anothe UL trip?
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[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]In an earlier report, Jordanelle perch were listed as having mercury but not high enough to cause concern. Still under the 0.3 milligrams per kilogram level that is considered safe for angled fish consumption. But, since they do contain mercury, the big perch eating browns ingest it and it concentrates in them over time. I would suspect that smallies should have higher levels too, but so far that has not been the finding.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]You...old and cynical? Never happen. Mean, rotten and nasty? That's more like it.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Always up for a cat-whackin' excursion. Got a tentative thing going for LB next Tuesday if that works for you. Temps should be up and the fish should be more active.[/#0000ff]
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[road]

"[#0000ff][size 1]You...old and cynical? Never happen. Mean, rotten and nasty? That's more like it."[/size][/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff][size 1]I see you have been talking to the wife and kids! Shame on you![/size][/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff][size 1]I think I can work Tuesday into my social calender. I'll PM ya and let you know for sure.[/size][/#0000ff]
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