February 2, 2006

SPRINGFIELD, Ill – The Illinois Department of Public Health today announced its 2006 consumption advisories for sport fish caught in Illinois waters. The following lakes are new to the advisory this year: Herrin Lake #1, Lake DePue, Lake of Egypt, Marion City Reservoir, Raccoon Lake, and Waukegan North Harbor of Lake Michigan. The following rivers and creeks are also new to the advisory this year: the east branch of the DuPage River, Kankakee River, Little Wabash River, and Cedar, Nippersink and Spring Creeks. These additions are the result of expanded and directed sampling by the Fish Contaminant Monitoring Program and do not suggest that Illinois fish are becoming more contaminated.

“The advisories are not meant to discourage people from eating fish, but should be used as a guideline to help anglers and their families decide where to fish, the types of fish to eat, and how to prepare fish for cooking to reduce possible contaminants,” said Dr. Eric E. Whitaker, state public health director. “Fish can be an important part of a balanced diet. It is a good source of high quality protein and other nutrients and is low in fat. But the public needs to be aware of the fact that contaminants in fish in some of our bodies of water may make some fish unsafe except in limited quantities, particularly for women of childbearing age and young children.”

While there is no known immediate health threat from eating contaminated fish from any body of water in Illinois, there are concerns about the effects of long-term, low-level exposure to pesticides and chemicals, such as chlordane, PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls), and methylmercury, found in fish listed on the advisories. Methylmercury, which results from mercury emitted primarily by coal-burning power plants, has been found to cause reproductive damage and have adverse effects on the central nervous system, including developmental delays.

The advisories are based primarily on protecting sensitive populations, including women of childbearing age, pregnant women, fetuses, nursing mothers and children younger than 15 years of age. They may be overprotective for women beyond childbearing age and men older than 15.

This year’s changes to the advisories include:

• All sizes of white sucker and sunfish from Waukegan North Harbor of Lake Michigan should be limited to one meal per month because of elevated levels of PCBs. For all other Waukegan Harbor fish, follow the fish advisory for Lake Michigan.
• All sizes of carp from Herrin Lake #1 (aka Old Herrin Lake) in Williamson County should not be eaten and all sizes of channel catfish should be limited to one meal per month because of elevated levels of PCBs.
• All sizes of flathead catfish from Lake Decatur in Macon County should be limited to one meal per month because of elevated levels of PCBs.
• All sizes of carp from Lake DePue in Bureau County should be limited to one meal per month because of elevated levels of PCBs. Channel catfish smaller than 24 inches should be limited to 6 meals per year, and larger than 24 inches should not be eaten also because of elevated levels of PCBs.
• Carp larger than 23 inches and channel catfish larger than 20 inches from Lake of Egypt in Johnson County should be limited to one meal per week because of elevated levels of PCBs.
• All sizes of carp from Marion City Reservoir in Williamson County should be limited to one meal per month because of elevated levels of PCBs.
• Carp smaller than 20 inches from Midlothian Reservoir in Cook County should be limited to one meal per week and larger than 20 inches should be limited to one meal per month because of elevated levels of PCBs.
• All sizes of carp from Raccoon Lake in Marion County should be limited to one meal per week because of elevated levels of PCBs.
• Largemouth bass larger than 12 inches from Cedar Lake in Jackson County should be limited to one meal per month for sensitive populations and one meal per week for all others because of elevated levels of methylmercury. The advisory previously was for all sizes of largemouth bass.
• All sizes of black crappie from Devil’s Kitchen Lake in Williamson County should be limited to one meal per month for sensitive populations and one meal per week for all others because of elevated levels of methylmercury.
• All sizes of carp from Cedar Creek in Warren County should be limited to 6 meals per year because of elevated levels of PCBs.
• All sizes of carp from the East Branch of the DuPage River should be limited to one meal per week because of elevated levels of PCBs.
• All sizes of carp from the Illinois River (Peoria to Mississippi River) should be limited to one meal per week because of elevated levels of PCBs. This includes Bighead and Silver carp species.
• All sizes of carp from the Kankakee River (Kankakee Dam to Wilmington Dam) should be limited to one meal per week because of elevated levels of PCBs.
• All sizes of carp from the Kankakee River (Wilmington Dam to Illinois River) should be limited to one meal per month because of elevated levels of PCBs.
• All sizes of channel catfish from Nippersink Creek in McHenry County should be limited to one meal per week because of elevated levels of PCBs.
• Carp smaller than 24 inches from Salt Creek (DesPlaines River Basin) should be limited to one meal per month, and carp larger than 24 inches should not be eaten because of elevated levels of PCBs.
• All sizes of carp from Spring Creek in Sangamon County, near Springfield should be limited to one meal per week because of elevated levels of PCBs.
• All sizes of largemouth bass, spotted bass, and carp from the Little Wabash River and Tributaries should be limited to one meal per month for sensitive populations and one meal per week for all others because of elevated levels of methylmercury.
• All sizes of white crappie from the Little Wabash River and tributaries should be limited to one meal per week for sensitive populations because of elevated levels of methylmercury. For all others, white crappie from Little Wabash River can be eaten in unlimited quantities.
• Sauger larger than 12 inches from the Wabash River should be limited to one meal per month for sensitive populations and one meal per week for all others because of elevated levels of methylmercury.
• Less stringent advice for Crab Orchard Lake includes: all sizes of carp west of Wolf Creek Road should be limited to one meal per week (down from one meal per month), all sizes of largemouth bass east and west of Wolf Creek Road should be limited to one meal per week (down from one meal per month), and all sizes of channel catfish east and west of Wolf Creek Road should be limited to one meal per month (down from larger than 22 inches being limited to 6 meals per year). All of these changes are because of decreasing levels of PCBs.

The remainder of the consumption advisories are unchanged from last year, including the statewide advisory for methylmercury. The statewide mercury advisory cautions sensitive populations to eat no more than one meal per week of predator fish, which pose a greater risk because they feed on other fish and accumulate higher amounts of methylmercury. Predator fish include all species of black bass, (largemouth, smallmouth and spotted), striped bass, white bass, hybrid striped bass, flathead catfish, muskellunge, northern pike, saugeye, sauger, and walleye.

Women beyond childbearing age and males older than 15 years of age can eat as many meals of predator fish as they please with the exception of fish caught from the 15 bodies of water that are on the special mercury advisory and have more restrictive meal advice because of high levels of methylmercury. These include Arrowhead Lake, Campus Lake at Southern Illinois University, Cedar Lake, Devil's Kitchen Lake, Kinkaid Lake, Lake Bracken, Lake in the Hills, Little Grassy Lake, Little Wabash River and Tributaries, Marquette Park Lagoon, Midlothian Reservoir, Monee Reservoir, Ohio River, Rock River (from Rockford to Milan Steel Dam), and Wabash River.

Mercury occurs naturally in the environment and it can be released into the air through industrial pollution. When it falls into surface water, bacteria in the water cause chemical changes that transform the mercury into methylmercury, which is then taken up by fish as they feed on aquatic organisms.

Because eating fish with high mercury levels can pose serious health risks, Governor Rod R. Blagojevich recently announced a proposal to cut mercury emissions from Illinois power plants. The U. S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) issued the Clean Air Mercury Rule on March 10, 2005, that required coal-fired power plants to reduce mercury emissions by 47 percent by 2010, and 79 percent by 2018.  Gov. Blagojevich’s proposed Illinois rules are significantly stronger, requiring a 90 percent emissions reduction by June 30, 2009, and prohibiting power plants from purchasing allowances, or trading emissions credits with other companies or states – practices that can lead to toxic “hot-spots” in areas where individual plants are able to get around emissions standards.

For fish that may contain PCBs and chlordane, the advisory provides eating advice in five categories – unlimited consumption, no more than one meal per week, no more than one meal per month, no more than six meals per year and do not eat.

Anglers who vary the type and source of sport fish consumed – opting for the younger, smaller fish, and consuming leaner species such as walleye and panfish over fatty species such as carp and catfish, and who prepare and cook fish in ways that reduce the amount of contaminants - can limit their exposure to harmful substances that may be found in fish.

There are several ways to reduce any PCBs and chlordane present in edible portions of fish:

• Before cooking, remove the skin from the filet and cut away any fatty tissue from the belly and dorsal areas.
• Broil, bake or grill in a way that allows fat to drip away.
• Discard fat drippings or broth from broiled or poached fish. Do not use in other dishes.

These precautions will not reduce the amount of methylmercury in fish. Mercury is found throughout a fish's muscle tissue (the edible part of the fish) rather than in the fat and skin. Therefore, the only way to reduce mercury intake is to reduce the amount of contaminated fish eaten.

The Illinois Fish Contaminant Monitoring Program screens fish samples from about 40 bodies of water per year for contamination from 13 banned pesticides and industrial chemicals. The program is a joint effort of the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA) and the departments of Agriculture, Natural Resources, and Public Health.