everyone needs to look at this. http://www.vdh.virginia.gov/HHControl/RoanokeRiver.asp

thanks for that dave. Is that something new? I didnt see a date of any sort on it. PCB - thats ugly.

it's current, December 10, 2004 is in the green box upper left

Back in Sept 2000 this issue was addressed by the Buggs Island Striper Club but like many things the importance was lost somewhere along the way. There was some emails posted back then from Va fishery biologists on the subject. Here is a link to that page.

http://www.striperchaser.com/fiftythird.htm

Now as back then, the less said the better is the way many people, businesses and others would rather have it. The reasons should be obvious $$$$$$$

holy chit man---that is saying dnot' eat fish from kerr but twice a month........WHY AM I NOT DEAD YET??????

didn't see any mention about crappie, so i assume it would be the same..........YIKES!!!!!

this troubles me deeply if it is saying the fish in kerr r not for consumption.....anyone have an idea if me eating crappie 3-4 times a week is killing me???????

By looking at that map,it sure looks like John H. Kerrs idea of building Kerr/Buggs Island was just a big flunk.

Hey dave,not being a smart butt but didn't they lower their allowable and that is why so many more areas are shaded in red?I guess what i am trying to say is that nothing has changed in the last ten years as far as the amount of pcb's going into the waterways.It's the way they calulate.

The PCB threshold limit was lowered, and that is why more areas are now covered under the advisory. You gotta remember, these are only advisories. No definitive human studies have ever been done to absolutely confirm that if you eat X amount of fish contaminated with PCBs then Y disease will happen with certaintly. Same goes for Mercury, no definitive human tests involving fish consumption, but really, there is no need. Mercury is one of the most toxic naturally occurring elements. You want to avoid as much as possible since it accumulates. Also, the advisories really focus on the most sensitive groups....women of child-bearing age and kids under 15. Stinky old fishermen apparently can eat anything!

If you've been eating fish everyday from the lake for years more than likely you are more healthy than someone who ate steak everyday for years (unless you ONLY deep fat fry with lard!). Don't sweat it. Inform yourself, then make your own decisions.

I personally think Crappie are the cleanest fish in the lake to eat due to lifespan, habitat and because there are NO advisories for eating them ANYWHERE in the Roanoke River Basin.

Tight Lines!

ok---after further review, the most dangerous fish to eat are large bottom feeding species, as that is where the vast majority of pcb's are located...so maybe all my hair falling out is not from eating crappie from Kerr afterall......lmao

lol,that probally came from too many u turns under the cover.

This is too funny.

hey pcb has been the lake since 1976,what i was looking at is that they tell you not to eat a flat over 32 inches and the rest 2 times a mounth its just an advisory but they wouldn`t have posted it if it wasn`t something to it.think about it.

You may not care about any of this but....

PCBs are fat soluable and therfore accumulate most in the species at the top of the food chain. In otherwords the fish that eat fish that eat fish. The older the fish the higher the concentration. These are called the bioaccumulators.

I would think that cat fish and stripers are at the very top and large mouth are near the top. Crappie are lower in the food chain since they mostly eat minnows which feed mostly on alge and plants.

With the way I love the white perch (and consume my share of them) - maybe cholesterol (from frying) and triglyceride should be the least of my worries - huh? !!!
... well I'll die with a full stomach anyway.

I do not want to lessen the message of this thread at all. The levels of heavy metal & pcb's not only trigger these alerts in kerr but the measurements are quite high. To protect yourself and to greatly lower your risk, there are some easy things you can do:
- Know the breed you're eating and whether they migrate up the Staunton, Dan or Nutbush to spawn. Blues, Flats, Stipers do. Bream and bass and crappie do not.
- If you eat the breeds that do that or if you eat the breeds that live natively in these tribs then eat the small ones. Accumulations will be low or very low in very young fish.
- The contaminants do collect in the fats. Do not fry your fish since it locks in the pollution. Grilling or broiling allows the oil to leech out and takes much of the bad stuff with it. What you eat is cleaner or much cleaner.
- Contaminants collect along the spine. When you clean the larger fish, note the dark stripe along the spine and cut/scrape all this away. Eating this area of the meat is likely the worst thing you can do.
- Grassy creek is clean.

Be safe everybody...jfo