Topside2 Posted January 25, 2023 Report Share Posted January 25, 2023 There's a recent article posted on the Field and Stream Magazine website that suggests that practically every fish caught in freshwater in this country is contaminated with disturbing levels of PFASs - forever chemicals. Just do an internet search for "Does a New Study Mean You Should Stop Eating Freshwater Fish Forever?" to find the article. The author is skeptical for now. It's worth a read. It makes one wonder about saltwater fish too...and just about everything else we eat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sbcbmx112 Posted January 25, 2023 Report Share Posted January 25, 2023 Personally I'd be more worried about PFAS in the water I drink. If regularly ate large amounts of freshwater fish it might give me pause but I usually only have a handful of such meals a year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
7 Rivers Posted January 25, 2023 Report Share Posted January 25, 2023 I saw this on the local news. t's been going on for a long time. Where I grew up in the Old Town area, there was always signs up on the Penobscot River, pregnant women should never eat more than 8 ozs of fish from the river. A lot of rivers that had mills on them, seem to have this problem. That being said, the fish can move around obviously, so no way to manage this. I used to pound brooks in Washington County just to get away from all that. I will never eat a freshwater fish again. I am allergic to shellfish, so I I don't eat anything out of the ocean either.. I have come to the conclusion years ago, I will never eat another fish again. Catch and release only and I am good with that. I don't feel I need to kill a fish when I have enjoyed catching them, and putting them back. Some heroes feel they have to kill everything and post pictures on social media. I enjoy the catch, not the kill. Years ago, they used to send the first salmon caught, on the Penobscot, every year at a certain salmon club,to the president of the United States. That poor fish had more media coverage than you could imagine, only to be tossed, sad. MainelySmallies 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skunkoff Posted January 25, 2023 Report Share Posted January 25, 2023 I'm C&R for the most part. Once in a great while I'll keep a couple crappies outnof "clean" water habitat. Anything else I keep, I know it won't make it. As long as it's legal and out of "clean" water. I haven't kept a striper in over 20 years. 7 Rivers 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MainelySmallies Posted January 25, 2023 Report Share Posted January 25, 2023 Heard about this recently too. Disturbing stuff. Only freshwater fish I ever kept were LMB or SMB bleeding from the gills plus stock trout when I was a kid. After hearing this I don’t plan to start anytime soon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
7 Rivers Posted January 26, 2023 Report Share Posted January 26, 2023 There are a lot of pristine waters in Maine. I used to get water from natural springs when I had a camp in Washington County. Used to be so nice. Even out there, you had to deal with the chemicals used on the blueberry fields, that made it into local bodies of water. When I was younger, used to climb Mt Katahdin a lot, and drink from the cold brooks flowing down the mountain. Probably never climb again due to health issues, glad I had fun when I was younger.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mainiac Posted January 29, 2023 Report Share Posted January 29, 2023 gotta die from sumpthin Tlacey21walden and RAW 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RAW Posted January 29, 2023 Report Share Posted January 29, 2023 Catch and release! I thought Field and Stream was long dead fishinbob 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Topside2 Posted January 29, 2023 Author Report Share Posted January 29, 2023 F&S publishes 4 digital-only issues a year. Their website is, however, constantly updated and is a very good source the keep up on outdoor/sportsman issues. It's pretty good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
punkroktownie Posted January 29, 2023 Report Share Posted January 29, 2023 (edited) Yeah. Quite concerning, but I can't say I won't eat any. I only skimmed the article, but I'm curious what was said about the fish we buy at the markets. Also, I tend to bring home 1 striper a year. Edited January 29, 2023 by punkroktownie Update Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Highlander1 Posted January 29, 2023 Report Share Posted January 29, 2023 Other than Salmon, what are worth cooking? LMB? Cat? I'd rather eat my floor mats. Topside2 1 "Thats as big as a fish that size gets" - Russ WilsonRIP JM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MainelySmallies Posted January 30, 2023 Report Share Posted January 30, 2023 18 hours ago, Highlander1 said: Other than Salmon, what are worth cooking? LMB? Cat? I'd rather eat my floor mats. Can’t stand catfish. LMB or SMB from clean cold water can be very good. Never kept either for the table on purpose but I have kept them when they’ve been bleeding bad. Pickerel can also be delicious but it’s a pain to deal with. Obviously walleye and crappie are excellent as well. Don’t keep any of the above on purpose but they can all be good if you have a modicum of competence in the kitchen. But yeah, I don’t get the appeal of catfish. Taste like mud. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CWitek Posted January 30, 2023 Report Share Posted January 30, 2023 From what I understand, the study the article was based on did not sample fish from all over the country, but rather concentrated on those from the Great Lakes area, which could easily have biased the results. "I have always believed that outdoor writers who come out against fish and wildlife conservation are in the wrong business. To me, it makes as much sense golf writers coming out against grass.." -- Ted Williams Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NHAngler Posted January 30, 2023 Report Share Posted January 30, 2023 Here is a detail to focus on: "....But due to growing concerns about the health impacts, last year the U.S. EPA recommended that the level of PFOS allowed in drinking water be lowered to 0.02 parts per trillion. The agency is expected to propose national drinking water regulations for certain PFAS soon....." If eating 1 (4-8oz?) fish with 48 parts per trillion is bad, how much water will you drink to get to the same concerning levels? I mean, if the average person drinks 64+ oz of water per day and .02 is acceptable then how much before it's not? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Topside2 Posted January 30, 2023 Author Report Share Posted January 30, 2023 6 hours ago, MainelySmallies said: ...But yeah, I don’t get the appeal of catfish. Taste like mud. Isn't it usually fried? I think you could fry an old shoe and it would taste good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to register here in order to participate.
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now