Is Fish From The Great Lakes Safe To Eat?

Per the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), fish from the Great Lakes are collected and tested once a year to check for contamination levels. This data is instrumental in determining which fish can be commercially harvested and ingested, and which should remain in the water. For instance, carp from Lake Thompson and Lake Earl are to be strictly limited, and ideally avoided completely due to high chemical levels found in the fish. For the most part, however, Great Lakes fish are healthy and perfectly safe, if not encouraged, to eat.

Species like salmon, bluegill, brown trout, and yellow perch are among some of the most commonly-eaten Great Lakes fish, and they all are deemed perfectly safe to eat. This, of course, is excellent news for fish lovers everywhere who want to enjoy a simple but delicious Dijon-crusted salmon with locally-caught fish.

Qualities to look out for in Great Lakes fish

The state of Michigan's Eat Safe Fish movement is designed to help people better understand the fish of the Great Lakes and how to consume them ethically and nutritiously. While the FDA guidelines largely focus on mercury levels, there are additional chemicals like PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls) and Dioxins, both of which are industrial chemicals that enter the Great Lakes as a result of human behavior.

There are certain qualities to look for when choosing fish to eat from the Great Lakes. These include opting for fish from generally less contaminated waters and not eating non-flesh parts of the fish, including eyes, skin, and organs. A large amount of the contamination is limited to these areas, so trimming away excess fat and skin is a good way to limit ingestion of harmful chemicals. Note, however, that some chemicals like mercury cannot be removed adequately from fish, resulting in its infamy.