Are they/ will they be good to eat ?

[deputydon]

I have to wonder given all the reports of toxic flood waters. If any of the fish in the flooding drainages all the way to the ocean will be safe to eat ? I would guess if fish aren't safe to eat in some of the toxic areas of a river under "normal" conditions (like around the bigger cities) than they most likely really aren't now..
What do you guys think ?

[bounce]

I think it will be a while before any one is fishing there or cares to.

[Purebred Redneck]

As soon as all the sandbagging stops and the water begins to back off, everyone's going to get their bows and try to shoot some carp and buffalo.
They'll sure eat those

MO conservation dept recomends limiting consumption of fish on the big rivers. But it's still a reasonable amount in my opinion --- something like a pound a week.

But I won't be doing any fishing on the mississippi till at least the middle of august I guess.

[jimiowa]

Hard to say. My thinking is the dilution rate should make them safe to eat unless you get excessive in your consumption.
I guess I think if it won't kill the fish it should not kill you.

I once read a prediction by woe -sayers who predicted that waters throughout the world would one day be so polluted that only Carp & Buffalo would be able to exist due to their tolerance to pollutants. The fish can stand it, but don't go wading in that muck, and be sure your tetn
I'm not as afraid of the fish right now as water systems up and down the river that draw their waters from the river.
Back in 93 when Des Moines lost their water plant, The Army/Natioanl Guard set up a purification plant in the parking lot of Methodist Hospitol and drew water right out of the river and purified it. But a city without water for 9 days can be a really stinky place! I lived north of Newton at the time and carried in water for Coffee and ice for cold drinks to the office the whole time.

[klsm54]

Me personally, if there is an advisory telling you to limit fish consumption, I don't touch it.

They tell you that it's fine to eat 1 pound a week, but no more... If two pounds isn't good for you, how can one pound be okay..... Not this guy, thank you.

[deputydon]

Scott, that's kinda what I'm thinking!!!!! Bounce, people are going to want to eat something. I'm thinking they'll decide that they are there and the fish are there soooooooo... I guess we'll see if there is an out break of sickness or not.

[Purebred Redneck]

Jun 18, 2008 9:34:13 GMT -5 klsm54 said:

Me personally, if there is an advisory telling you to limit fish consumption, I don't touch it.

They tell you that it's fine to eat 1 pound a week, but no more... If two pounds isn't good for you, how can one pound be okay..... Not this guy, thank you.

Well it can also be looked at the opposite way
If they say you can eat some, you can eat all you want in reality

I fish North of the St. Louis metro so the water is less poluted than directly south of St. Louis.

[Jack]

Personally, I would avoid eating fish from the Mississippi and it's flooded tributaries for a while.
When you think of all the sewage treatment plants, hog raising operations, etc., that have been flooded- even farm fields where chemicals were used before the floods. Not to mention all the oil, paint, household chemicals coming from flooded houses.....

[Bubba]

Personally, I don't eat fresh water fish of any kind... especially if they're caught in Delaware... Working with the Department of Natural Resources for all those years, I know how polluted the water around here really is. I don't even drink tap water (unless it's boiled first)... if it isn't bottled and purified, I don't drink it. There's a reason why Delaware has the highest death rate from cancer in the country... it's either the air or the water .. I have to breath the air but I don't have to drink the water...

Anyway, I figure the saltwater is just as polluted as the rivers and ponds, however, the fish don't live in Delaware Waters all the time... they move up and down the coast and in and out of deep water so they can't be as polluted as the fish that are stationary, in ponds & rivers... I also limit my intake of saltwater fish to a couple of pounds a year.

So, my answer to your question DD is DON'T EAT THE FISH .... .

[dovehunter]

Probably the slug of water which constitutes the present flooding won't be around long enough to make a big impact on the toxicity level in the fish. When its gone all the temporary additional contaminates should be gone with it. However if there are restrictions on eating the fish anyway, if it were me, I'd pass on them. I don't have any problem getting my "eating fish" from Kroger's or Red Lobster.