Utah issues mercury advisories for fish in 2 areas

Mercury levels in fish caught in two areas of southern Utah have prompted state officials to issue warnings against consuming too many of the fish.

Health advisories were issued for largemouth bass from Gunlock Reservoir, Washington County, and brown trout from Mill Creek, Grand County. Adults should eat no more than two eight-ounce servings per month of the bass from that reservoir; three eight-ounce meals of brown trout from Mill Creek near Moab can be safely eaten per month, according to the advisories. Some adults should consume even less.

"Women who may become pregnant, pregnant women, nursing mothers and young children should not eat more than one four-ounce serving per month from either location," adds the advisory. "A four-ounce serving of fish is approximately the size of a deck of cards."

If more than the recommended levels are consumed over a long period, says the state, that could result in taking in more mercury than Environmental Protection Agency recommendations. Any health risk is based on long-term consumption and not tied to eating fish occasionally, says a Utah Department of Environmental quality press release.

Six of eight largemouth bass collected in Gunlock Reservoir and three of five brown trout from Mill Creek were found to have elevated mercury levels. The fish were caught as part of a water quality investigation. Other fish caught did not show elevated levels.

"It's about time" was the comment of Jeff Salt, director of the environmental group Great Salt Lakekeeper. "Fish consumption advisories were long overdue in Utah."

He said while the group applauds the investigation into contamination in the state's waterways, the group would like to know why the state waited so long to test for mercury in fish.

Utah was one of the last five states to issue consumption advisories for mercury in fish, he said.

"The state has been playing games with the whole mercury issue and wants the citizens to stay out of the picture unless it's under their terms or involvement or control," Salt added in a note to the Deseret Morning News.

"As far as I know, the mercury in both locations where the alerts were issued may be from mining operations," he added. "That's one reason why we need a watershed-by-watershed approach to studying the mercury issue."

According to Salt, each waterway could have a different source of mercury.

Walt Baker, director of the Utah Division of Water Quality, said the state has taken water quality samples for decades, but the samples looked at water chemistry and did not reveal anything alarming concerning mercury.