Are fishes out of our local ponds eatable?

Question

I often fish out of our local ponds and lakes. Fishes include blue gill, perch, bass, and some others I can't name them. Some one told me that goverment put toxic chemical into man made lakes and ponds. Therefore, eating these fishes is eating toxic chemical. Is it true? Should I eat them?

Answer 1

Freshwater fish are not edible.  In the old days monks used to eat carp but they kept in freshwater.  The water had to be changed regularly.  As for the government putting chemicals in water this is untrue.  This is true in the uk not sure about the us.  Bass live in the sea in the uk.

Answer 2

most of the ponds and lakes in the Chicago area are in the forest preserves and  are safe areas for fish therefore the fish are also safe to eat.

Answer 3

No, not in my opinion at least I own a private 1-2 acre pond stocked with tons of healthy fish...if toxic waste was in the ponds and lakes you were fishing in the fish would be dead!!!!!!! If it can give you problems it will give the fish problems!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Answer 4

i would eat them ive eaten fish from ponds and im fine besides the cancer jk jk :)

those fish are extremly good to

Answer 5

i wouldnt unless its in a park or remote area

Answer 6

It depends, since I do not know the name of this pond/lake/etc., although proper cleanage of all your catches is most likely reccomended (by myself aswell), i'd be aware of your surroundings, locale, etc. If near city, fish may likely contain traces (whether small, or large quantities) of toxins, waste products, dirt, and what-not.

Hope that helped

Answer 7

Most often your state department of fish & game should have a link to any known waterway within the state that has a fish advisory. Fish advisory tells you not to eat the fish - sometimes a certain species like bottom feeders or to limit the amount and number of times a month you eat the fish.

Check out the Virginia site - for an example...

http://www.dgif.virginia.gov/fishing/reg...

Try this site - it's older but it has some info about the Chicago area....

http://www.idph.state.il.us/envhealth/fi...

Answer 8

I pretty much wouldn't trust most lakes, and definitely not trust any ponds. My personal experience is, these areas end up getting filled with runoff from the streets and the pesticides on people's yards. I'm thinking Florida, so if you're from a very remote area, maybe its different, and maybe its safe. I'd ask around and see if there was a way you could test the water for specific chemicals.

Answer 9

I would think pond waters are a lot more cleaner than most of the rivers these days with all the run off polutants . if your pond seems pretty clean and the fish look good and you dont have fish floating or sitting on the shore beside the pond, then you should be fine.  to be safe don't eat bottom feeding fish. but for the most part, advisories always say don't eat too much in too fast of a time period.  eat it once, or twice a month. just don't live off of it if you're unsure.

Answer 10

I'm not sure what state your in, but most state's Dept of Fish and Wildlife have the consumption quality of common fish published on their websites.

It will usually list the type of fish, the bodies of water, and the maximum amount of servings they suggest to consume.

Answer 11

We just put some chemicals in our pond and there was a warning not to eat the fish when using it.

Contact the park district or who ever does take care of the water to be sure.

Answer 12

In moderation, all fish from all waters are reasonably safe to eat.  The government does NOT put chemicals in private ponds.  The chemicals come from groundwater runoff that carries fertilizer, pesticides, and herbicides (roundup) from people's lawns, as well as the oil, antifreeze, and other fluids that leak out of cars onto driveways and parking lots.

Unless you have the fish tested (expensive) eat less than one serving per week, and do not allow a pregnant woman (or one planning to get pregnant) or a child under the age of 3 to eat the fish more than once per month.

Take a look at my photos at http://www.flickr.com/search/?q=superfun... to see fish I've caught at a federal "Superfund" waste cleanup site.  These fish were mostly turned loose, but the crappie were all eaten.  Though there is cadmium, zinc, copper, and lead present, the fish were tested by the EPA and found to be free of heavy metal contamination, so I feel they are safer to eat than untested fish...even those from the grocery store.

Answer 13

I live in the Chicago suburbs and there are a TON of ponds not in forest preserves.Personally I would only eat fish from a large lake or from a pond with fairly clear water.If you're still hesitant call the park district or village hall to find out who takes care of the ponds and ask them if it would be ok.

Answer 14

Depends on the condition of the ponds and lakes.  If they are very scummy looking and polluted I would not eat them.  But then again out of the fish you have named you would have to get one huge *** bluegill to have a decent meal, bass taste horrible so that only leaves perch.  You will end up cooking the fish anyway which would hopefully kill most of the bacteria.  I would go for it.

Answer 15

bass are really good