Wednesday, November 08, 2017

Lake Aaron's smaller fish

Lake Aaron's smaller fish, such as sunfish, crappies, bullheads and yellow perch, are considered low in mercury and can be eaten once a week, according to state websites.
Mercury poisoning can cause loss of peripheral vision; tingling in the hands, feet, and around the mouth; lack of coordination; impairment of speech, hearing and walking; and muscle weakness, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Minnesota considers waterways to be impaired when enough fish test positive for mercury levels at above .2 parts per million, said Bruce A. Monson, a researcher with the pollution control agency. If more than 10 percent of a tested fish species includes that level of mercury, the waterway is listed as impaired.
Researchers tested eight walleye, eight northern pike, and eight largemouth bass caught in Lake Aaron in 2016, and average mercury concentrations for the three species were 0.25, 0.44 , and 0.39 parts per million, respectively, Monson said.

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