Anglers advised to avoid eating Lahontan fish

Fish in Lahontan Reservoir and five other Northern Nevada recreational waters contain elevated levels of methylmercury and should not be eaten, according to a release issued Thursday by the Nevada State Health Division.

The release issued health advisories recommending no consumption of fish from Lahontan Reservoir and the Carson River from Dayton downstream to the reservoir, as well as white bass from Little and Big Washoe Lake, wipers and walleye from Rye Patch Reservoir, walleye from Chimney Dam Reservoir and walleye and northern pike from Comins Lake.

"We don't want to scare anybody with these advisories," said Dr. Bradford Lee, Nevada State Health Officer. "We want to help them make informed decisions."

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has imposed a limit of 1 part per million of methylmercury in commercial fish.

"Although fish are an important part of a healthy diet, we want Nevadans, especially women who are or who may become pregnant, and young children, to be aware of the risks associated with consuming fish from these waters," Lee stated in the release.

Ten game fish taken from Lahontan all had elevated methylmercury levels averaging 1.0 ppm or more. One 10-year-old wiper, measuring 30 inches and weighing 17 pounds, registered 8.28 ppm mercury - the highest found in the sampling.

Kelly Clark, public information officer for the Nevada Department of Wildlife, said smallmouth bass found in other area waters measured from 0.49 ppm up to 1.20 ppm mercury, while the same species at Lahontan measured 0.89 to 1.52 ppm.

The Nevada Department of Environmental Protection states Nevada is home to naturally occurring mercury, as well as man-made sources from mining activity and electric power plants.

Dante Pistone, public information officer at NDEP, said mercury is deposited in lakes and streams through runoff and is then ingested by fish. The mercury bioaccumulates in the fish tissue and works its way up the food chain. He emphasized the mercury is found in the fish, not the water.

"The West is highly mineralized," Pistone said. "It's everywhere."