HUDSON, Maine — Sunday was the final day of the Pushaw Lake Ice Fishing Derby. Every year, it’s a chance for some winter fun and friendly competition. This year, the derby also provided an opportunity for researchers to gain valuable information.
Volunteers like Dianne Kopec, a research fellow at the University of Maine’s Senator George J. Mitchell Center for Sustainability Solutions, were out sampling fish caught in Pushaw Lake and will eventually analyze them for mercury.
“In 27 states, including Maine, there’s a statewide fish consumption advisory,” said Kopec. "Mercury is a neurotoxin and the most sensitive people to it are young children and babies because mercury is toxic to brain development."
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The Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife's website says pregnant or nursing women, women who may get pregnant, and children under age 8 should not eat freshwater fish from Maine's inland waters because of mercury. The only exception is a meal once a month of brook trout or landlocked salmon.
The website also recommends adults and children older than 8 eat only two freshwater fish meals per month. They can have brook trout or landlocked salmon in one meal per week.
“We’re expecting to find high levels of mercury in the fish, but this creates an opportunity for us to monitor the mercury in the fish," added Kopec. "In a few years from now, we can do the same testing and see whether mercury levels have changed."
President of the Greater Pushaw Lake Association Richard Dressler shared he is hopeful that findings from today's samples will catch the nation of various regulators.
“Perhaps over the longer term, there’ll be changes made to reduce the mercury deposition into the lake,” Dressler said.