Fly & Light Tackle Angler

On the Line 

by Mike Conner, Editor-in-Chief

Mulling Over Mercury

A close friend had a great bottom-fishing trip in the Dry Tortugas west of Key West in recent days, and keeping with tradition, he and his wife hosted a dinner party for my wife and our circle of friends last night. I was still thinking about that sumptuous yellowtail snapper this morning as I opened up the local section of my daily newspaper, The Stuart News,  to: "Mercury Level in Lagoon fish Higher?"

It referred to an ongoing study, and somewhat concerning statistics that show that hair samplings of individuals living around Central Florida's Indian River Lagoon (IRL) show elevated mercury levels.
It is well-documented that the Lagoon's dolphins, which are apex predators, have some of the highest levels of mercury in their flesh than anywhere in the world.

The sub-theme of the article was that the poor economy is driving more local anglers to the water to catch and increasingly keep Lagoon species such as seatrout, redfish, pompano, bluefish and snook, and nearshore species such as Spanish mackerel and kingfish to put meals on the table.

One gentleman who was interviewed while fishing on the popular north Jetty at Sebastian Inlet on Florida's Atlantic coast claimed that he ate fish "a dozen or more times a week," which is pretty extreme, but unemployment gave him little choice.

What is known is that methylmercury, the neurotoxin is generated by bacteria that thrives in oxygen-depleted environs common in the ground in Florida Everglades, Lake Okeechobee and the Lagoon. And some researchers believe that sulfates from fertilizers and fungicides boost the growth of methylmercury. And guess where that ends up? In stormwater runoff and even rainfall.

I just now estimated the number of fish servings I have had in the last month, from my personal Lagoon catches (trout, flounder, sheepshead and pompano) and sushi bar stops (tuna are reportedly mercury-laden) , and though I am not in that Sebastian Inlet angler's league, I eat a fair amount of fish. The photo I have included here is fresh flounder, a great eating fish that we target at this time of year.

And I am looking into getting tested, to see where I stand. For a detailed guide on how often how should consume particular fish species in various waters, visit www.tcpalm.com/fishnotice/