Like to fish? Make sure your catch is safe to eat

COLUMBIA - South Carolinians who like to fish can go online for updated information to find out if the fish on their line is safe to eat or should be released because of possible contamination, according to the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control.

"DHEC's web site at www.scdhec.gov/fish has a state map with the latest advisories, information and a booklet and other materials that can be downloaded," said Alton Boozer, chief of DHEC's Bureau of Water.

Boozer said fish consumption advisories exist on 61 state water bodies and the Atlantic Ocean because of mercury contamination. Swordfish caught in the Atlantic Ocean off South Carolina's coast have been confirmed with high levels of mercury and should be avoided by pregnant or nursing women and children under age 14. Other adults should limit swordfish meals to one a month.

Consumption advisories suggest safe amounts of fish for meals, with a meal being a half-pound (or 8-oz.) serving of raw fish before cooking, which would be about the size of two decks of cards. People also should check local advisories about the safety of fish caught by family and friends in local lakes, rivers and coastal areas. If no advice is available, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration advise that people can eat up to six ounces (one average meal) per week of cooked fish caught in local waters, but shouldn't consume any other fish during that week.

DHEC warns that pregnant women, women planning to become pregnant, infants and children should not eat any fish containing mercury. Mercury is a neurotoxin. Infants and children are particularly sensitive to the effects of mercury since their nervous systems are still forming.

While a water body might have advisories issued on certain species, other species in the same water body might have no restrictions. Saltwater dolphin (mahi mahi) and Spanish mackerel also have been cleared through testing. King mackerel 33 to 39 inches should not be eaten more than once a month, and King mackerel over 39 inches should be avoided.

DHEC has tested over 2,000 fish samples for mercury from water bodies throughout the state since the last advisory update in 2005. Consumption advisories because of mercury now are in effect for a total of 40 South Carolina rivers, creeks and streams and 20 lakes. Freshwater fish advisories for inland lakes and rivers have been issued for mercury contamination since 1994.

A naturally occurring metal, mercury can come from air deposition from coal-burning facilities and incinerators. In water, it can be converted to an organic form called methylmercury, which can build up in fish tissue. If eaten in large enough amounts, methylmercury can cause nervous system damage, particularly in infants.

The federal agencies urge people to eat up to 12 ounces (about two average meals) a week of a variety of fish and shellfish that are lower in mercury, such as shrimp, canned light tuna, salmon, pollock and catfish. If a person's choice for a weekly fish meal is albacore tuna, then only six ounces should be eaten because it has more mercury than canned light tuna.

Information on the FDA's advisory can be found at www.fda.gov or at EPA's Web site at www.epa.gov. You also can call FDA, toll free, at 1-888SAFEFOOD.

Consumption advisory tables can be obtained by calling DHEC's Division of Environmental Community Health toll free at 1-888-849-7241. The 2006 advisory information is on the Web at www.scdhec.gov /fish.

. An advisory on Lake Hartwell and associated waters continues because of contamination from polychlorinated biphenyls. No fish of any species should be eaten from the Seneca River arm of Lake Hartwell or 12 Mile Creek.

. Largemouth bass and channel catfish in the rest of Lake Hartwell should be limited to one meal a month. No hybrid bass or striped bass should be eaten from any part of the lake. Georgia's advisory on the Tugaloo arm of Lake Hartwell remains in effect.

. Some fish from parts of the Savannah River also contain cesium-137 and strontium90.