Rivers and Water

Two reservoirs get mercury warnings

By Alex Breitler The (Stockton) Record / Sac Bee/ November 24, 2014

For the first time, state regulators have announced that certain fish commonly caught in two local reservoirs – Camanche and New Melones – are not safe for some people to eat because of high mercury levels.

The new guidelines issued by the state Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment are not a surprise, however. They are similar to other guidelines that have previously been published for lakes, rivers and streams across California, including the Delta.

The state emphasizes that fish can remain a healthy part of anyone’s diet.

“These guidelines balance these health benefits against the risks from exposure to mercury in fish,” said George Alexeeff, director of the state environmental health hazard office.

The state recommends that children and women up to the age of 45 do not eat bass caught from both Camanche and New Melones reservoirs.

Older women and men should limit themselves to one serving of bass per week.

At Camanche, younger women and children should also limit consumption of catfish to one serving a week; at Melones, catfish is acceptable twice a week for those groups.

The state’s advisories are based on studies of fish tissue samples.

When it comes to bass, Mother Lode fishing writer William Heinselman isn’t too concerned about the restrictions.

“A lot of the bass fishermen, it’s catch and release only,” he said. “They’re after the glory” of a big catch.

Trout, which do not appear on the new advisories, are the fish most often eaten from the reservoirs, Heinselman said.

The new advisories are a reminder that many waterways, particularly in the Stockton area, carry such guidelines and warnings. The state has already warned about the dangers of white sturgeon and striped bass in the Delta, particularly for younger women and children, who are especially vulnerable to mercury.

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