Great Lakes fish more contaminated than ever

By Sue Mueller, July 6, 2007, Environmental Defence

Many categories of Great Lakes fish have gotten higher levels of toxic pollutants than ever, according to a report released on July 5 by Environmental Defence, a Canadian organization that aims to protect the Environment and human health.

The report was released a day before Ontario Family Fishing Weekend that runs from July 6th to July 8th to advise people that they need to consider the safety issue before deciding to eat certain fish.

"While fish remains a healthy choice for consumers, toxic contamination levels suggest that we are still treating the Great Lakes as a toxic waste dump," said Aaron Freeman, Policy Director of Environmental Defence.

"We are clearly not doing enough to protect this vital ecosystem. We need stronger pollution regulations and a real plan from the federal and provincial governments to clean up the Lakes."

The report, Up to the Gills: Pollution in Great Lakes Fish, results from an analysis of the fish advisories published by the Ontario Ministry of the Environment for four species of fish in 13 locations across the Great Lakes.

Many categories of fish are somewhat or completely unfit for human consumption, and that other categories of fish are becoming so, the report found.

The major contaminants that prompt consumption advisories from the governments include mercury, PCBs, pesticides, dioxins and furans. These chemicals can cause damage to the nervous, respiratory and immune system, as well as cancer, according to the Environment Defence.

The contamination level depends on the location. In many areas such as Lake Ontario pollutants affect as many as eight categories of fish between 2005 and 2007 while in a few other regions such as Lake Erie, pollution is less severe.

The size of fish also matters. Often consumption advisories were issued for larger fish because they are more contaminated. But small fish are not necessarily safe and severe consumption advisories have been issued for small sizes of fish in Lake Ontario.

The organization said in its press release that consumers and anglers need to watch what fish they eat from where although fish can be a beneficial part of a health diet.

"More than five million anglers fish the Great Lakes every year in a commercial and sport fishing industry worth $3.5 billion a year," the press release by Environment Defence states.

"The toxics can really add up," said Freeman. "Fish from the supermarket, from the chip stand and from the Great Lakes all contain various concentrations of harmful contaminants, which all together can have serious cumulative effects on human health."

The report, Up to the Gills: Pollution in Great Lakes Fish can be downloaded at http://www.environmentaldefence.ca/reports/pdf/Up2TheGills_final.pdf