[Larry]

I recently started Catfishing on the MN river. It runs through a lot of farm country with considerable run off. Most of the people that I talk to think that its harmful and the fish are full of chemicals. (Note: Catfishing is not a sought after fish in a state full of Walley, Bass and Pike) According to the DNR stats for the state of MN they make no mention of that (pesticides) as a safety issue. At first I was content with catch and release but after reading the recipies and posts on BOC. I was ready to take a bite out of a couple of live ones last time I was out fishing. My thoughts are that most of the runoff is basically harmless otherwise it would probably be illegal.
And I would really like to eat some of my catch.
Any input appreciated.

 

[Catbird]

Larry, your best bet would be to contact your local EPA. I am sure they have the info you are looking for. I eat catfish from the Ohio River all the time and it hasn't hurt me yet that's not to say I will not drop dead tomorrow...lol

 

[Dreadnaught]

Sure there is some run off from farmland, but not near as bad as some of the other stuff that is dumped into the river systems everyday.
As a farmer I can tell you that most of the pesticides that we use have strict controls on them, such as where you can apply them and when. We use herbicides, fungicides, and pesticides. These are all controled carefully by the applicator.
But throw mother nature in the mix and sometimes you will get some run-off but not(IMO) enough to harm anything. Most of these chemicals are absorbed by the plants and cannot escape, and there is very little residual effect on the ground. If you got enough to harm humans in the rivers I believe that due to the delicate nature of the fish, they would die long before you got to them.
So to answer your question, I don't think there is enough in there to harm you(This is just my oppinion)

 

[Larry]

Thanks Catbird and Dreadnaught for the feedback. I cant wait to catch some soon and have a catfish dinner.

 

[Catbird]

Larry, I searched Minnesota's website for you and here is a link to their fish advisory (page 6 is for the MN River):
http://www.health.state.mn.us/divs/eh/fish/eating/rivergenpop.pdf

 

[Larry]

Thanks for checken Catbird. I had been checken the same stats. My concern wasnt so much mercury and pcbs....... but pesticides. Your vote on the eating out of the Ohio and Dreadnaughts experience farming was a the info that I was looking for. I did take you up on your recommendation to follow up with the EPA. Still waiting to hear back from them. If they everget back I let ya know the details.

 

[Fishgeek]

Good thinking Catbird! That was going to be my suggestion -- I think every state puts out a fish consumption advisory.

Here in Indiana most of the concern is not from pesticides but mercury. A few streams here have are pretty bad & it's recommended not to eat anything from them. In most cases, men can get away with a meal or two a month or even a week. However, women and children need to be more careful. Smaller fish have less toxins than larger fish & you can typically eat more little guys...smaller fish have had less time for these toxins to build up (bioaccumulate) in their systems.

 

[bearcat]

One other thing to keep in mind when eating catfish. In Catfish the toxins accumulate in the fat of the fish. Which in catfish it is the red meat or mud vien that runs down the middle of the fillet and towards the outside of it. Cut this porting out, it doesnt taste good any way, and you will lower the chance of toxins. Like was said before the smaller fish have less in them than the bigger ones.

 

[Catcaller]

The runoff of pesticides/herbicides used by farmers into a river isnt as devastating as the runoff that goes into standing water that has no current. The river constantly flushes itself out...a pond does not. I have seen ponds that have had severe fish kills due to pesticide/herbicide runoff...but then again it wasnt applied correctly either to give the benefit of doubt to the farmers who take the time to do it correctly. Our worst problem in this immediate region is a bunch of turkey houses and also an egg factory that repeatedly gets cited by the DNR....not to mention the large corporations that dump harmful chemicals into our waters across the nation.