ADIRONDACK COUNCIL
PRAISES HEALTH DEPARTMENT'S EXPANDED WARNINGS FOR MERCURY-TAINTED
FISH
State Says to Avoid Eating Several Species Caught in
Adirondack and Catskill Parks
For more information:
John F. Sheehan, Communications Director
518-432-1770 (w)
518-441-1340 (cell)
Released, Friday, April 15, 2005
ALBANY, NY -- The NYS Department
of health today issued new and startling fish-consumption warnings,
urging the public to avoid eating certain species of fish caught
from lakes and ponds in the Adirondack and Catskill parks because
of hazardous mercury contamination.
They were the first park-wide warnings for all water bodies ever
issued by the Health Department. The Adirondack Council said
the warnings were needed to prevent accidental ingestion by children
and pregnant women, both of whom are extremely vulnerable to
mercury poisoning.
"This contamination is a by-product of acid rain and the
smokestack pollution from electric power plants," said Adirondack
Council Executive Director Brian L. Houseal. "We get some
of our mercury problems directly from the power plant smokestacks.
The rest comes from a chemical reaction in mountain soils caused
by acid rain. Most of the mercury that people come into contact
with on a daily basis is an inorganic form that is generally
harmless. But acid rain causes a conversion of inorganic mercury
into an organic form that is easily absorbed into living tissue."
Houseal said he was grateful the state had issued a general warning
to women of child-bearing age and children against eating any
northern pike, walleye, pickerel, bass and yellow perch from
any Adirondack or Catskill waters.
The Adirondack Park has more than 2,800 lakes and ponds. All
four of New York City's Catskill drinking water reservoirs are
known to contain mercury-contaminated fish as well.
"Scientists are finding mercury contamination almost everywhere
they have tested for it in the two Forest Preserve parks,"
Houseal said. "I think it is only prudent to ensure that
people know how grave the situation has become. This could have
a negative impact on tourism for some places. But it is irresponsible
to avoid alerting the general public that the problem is worse
than year-to-year updates might make it appear. We know of 39
lakes and ponds in the Adirondack with mercury-tainted fish,
but there are many more than that. We can't possibly test them
all in time to issue specific warnings for each.
"The worst-hit fish are the ones that primarily eat other
fish," Houseal said. "Aggressive predators such as
northern pike, walleye, pickerel, bass and yellow perch tend
to accumulate the most mercury in their systems. Once it's in
them, it never comes out. Then, every new fish they consume adds
a little more. Eventually, something consumes the big fish and
the mercury climbs up the entire food chain."
Houseal said the only good news to report concerning mercury
is that the problem may begin to improve over the next decade.
The US Environmental Protection Agency has issued new rules for
mercury that require cuts of 70 percent from power plants by
2018. While those rules are being held up by litigation, mercury
emissions are expected to decline nationwide due to EPA's new
Clean Air Interstate Rule, which requires deep cuts in sulfur
dioxide and nitrogen oxide pollution - the two main components
of acid rain.
"There will be reductions in mercury as a side-effect of
the new acid rain rules," Houseal said. "The changes
power plants must make to comply with the new acid rain rules
will also reduce the amount of mercury deposited. But we still
need additional federal action to bring mercury under control
nationwide."
Houseal said the combined effects of less mercury and less acid
in the soils will reduce the amount of inorganic mercury that
is converted to the harmful organic form. That will lead to less
contamination.
"The one wild card is the amount of time it takes for our
soils to recover from decades of acid rain," Houseal said.
"Lakes recover much faster, because the water changes so
frequently in the Adirondacks. It can take a long time for soils
to regain their buffering capacity. So, we know things will get
better. But we don't know when and we don't know how much worse
they will get while we are waiting."
Today's advisory brings the total number of Adirondack lakes
and ponds with known mercury-contaminated fish species to 39,
with nine new listings from last year.
Below is a list of the Adirondack
Park water bodies added to the state's health warning lists today.
The ones in bold are new. Listings that have been modified from
last year's report have a note at the end explaining the old
warning as well.
- Canada Lake (Fulton County) - EAT NO MORE THAN ONE
MEAL PER MONTH of smallmouth bass larger than 15 inches and chain
pickerel (all sizes).
- Chase Lake (Fulton County) - EAT NO MORE THAN ONE
MEAL PER MONTH of yellow perch larger than 9 inches.
Crane Pond (Essex County) - EAT NO MORE THAN ONE MEAL PER MONTH
of smallmouth bass larger than 15 inches.
- Francis Lake (Lewis County) -EAT NO MORE THAN ONE
MEAL PER MONTH of chain pickerel (all sizes). In addition, based
on lower mercury levels in smaller yellow perch, the previous
advisory for yellow perch has been changed to EAT NO MORE THAN
ONE MEAL PER MONTH of yellow perch larger than 9 inches (the
previous advisory applied for all sizes of yellow perch.)
- Last year's warning was for
all yellow perch, EAT NONE.
- Franklin Falls Flow (also known as Franklin Falls Pond;
Franklin and Essex Counties) - EAT NO walleye (all sizes).
- High Falls Pond (Lewis County) - EAT NO MORE THAN ONE
MEAL PER MONTH of smallmouth bass larger than 15 inches.
- Kings Flow (Hamilton County) - EAT NO MORE THAN
ONE MEAL PER MONTH of smallmouth bass larger than 15 inches.
- Meacham Lake (Franklin County) - EAT NO smallmouth
bass and EAT NO MORE THAN ONE MEAL PER MONTH of northern pike
(all sizes of both species).
- Last year's warning was for
yellow perch 12 inches or larger. Eat NONE.
- Middle Stoner Lake (Also known as East Stoner Lake; Fulton
County) - EAT NO MORE THAN ONE MEAL PER MONTH of smallmouth bass
larger than 15 inches.
- Moshier Reservoir (Herkimer County) - EAT NO MORE THAN
ONE MEAL PER MONTH of smallmouth bass (all sizes).
- Last year's warning said eat
no more than one meal of yellow perch per month.
- Russian Lake (Hamilton County) - EAT NO MORE THAN
ONE MEAL PER MONTH of yellow perch larger than 9 inches.
- Spy Lake (Hamilton County) - EAT NO MORE THAN
ONE MEAL PER MONTH of smallmouth bass larger than 15 inches.
- Sunday Lake (Herkimer County) - EAT NO chain pickerel
(all sizes).
- Last year's warning said eat
no more than one meal of yellow perch per month.
- Weller Pond (Franklin County) - EAT NO MORE THAN
ONE MEAL PER MONTH of northern pike (all sizes).
The Adirondack Council's mission
is to ensure the ecological integrity and wild character of the
Adirondack Park. Founded in 1975, the Council is a privately
funded not-for-profit organization with 18,000 members. The Council
carries out its missions through research, education, advocacy
and legal action.
|
