The Alabama Department of Public Health has issued a “consumption advisory” for several species of popular game fish in the area. Most popular local fishing holes have some level of contamination. The principal contaminant appears to be mercury, according to the release.

“The idea is don’t be scared, be sensible,” said Neil Sass, a biochemist and toxicologist with the Alabama Department of Public Health in a telephone interview. “Mercury has been there forever.”

A complete list of fish species and locations can be found at adph.org/news/assets/080722.pdf. Mercury is a naturally-occuring element, sometimes called “quicksilver,” but too much mercury in the human body can lead to insomnia, shifting moods, restlessness, tremors and death. At high levels, children can suffer retardation, blindness and deafness.

That wasn’t bothering 8-year-old Sky Graner who was visiting area family from Grenada, Miss. She was too busy seeing what casting a net or a line would bring her at Manatee Park, a fishing pier along the Fish River. The Fish River near County Road 32 has one of the most restrictive advisories, with the ADPH suggesting that people make only one meal every other month of largemouth bass.

The ADPH advises people not to consume more than “two meals per month” of largemouth bass taken from the river just two miles upstream of U.S. Highway 98. A meal is considered to be eight ounces of raw fish, six ounces of cooked fish.

“I just want to see what I can catch,” said Graner. She and her relatives, Regina Long and Coleman Turner, from Oakdale, La., and Magnolia Springs respectively, had taken several crabs from the fishing pier, and they were going to be part of a tasty lunch or dinner later in the day.

Helping the family, showing Sky how to use the net, was Ronnie Mayo of Loxley.

“There are signs all over (at other fishing piers) telling you not to eat the bass,” said Mayo. “What happens is that the bass eat the bream which absorbs the mercury.”

That’s just about right, says Sass.

“The mercury might come from a factory in Bangladesh or other such place,” said Sass, explaining that the mercury drops to earth in this area, and is taken up into the roots of area trees. The mercury is released when the tree dies (it also creates the region’s famous “black water”) which is then converted to methyl mercury, the organic form of mercury by naturally-occuring bacteria.

“The process is helped by the warmer temperatures and higher Ph of the water in this area,” said Sass.

Small organisms eat the mercury-laden bacteria, which are in turn eaten by larger fish. The mercury tends to accumulate in animals, so when a top-level predator, a fish that exclusively consumes other fish, is examined, it has high levels of mercury. The most common example is the Alabama state fish, the largemouth bass.

“We want people to eat fish,” said Sass. “But, we want people to be judicious about it. Fish is low in fat, and is a high-quality protein. You just have to use common sense.”

While catfish do appear of the restricted list in some locations, it’s generally a safe fish to eat, says Sass. Species like crappie and blue gill are fine. Even the king mackerel, a good eating fish found in the Gulf, but found of the ADEM list can be safely consumed if the fish is smaller than 39 inches. The larger the fish, the more time it has had to consume smaller fish carrying mercury, Sass says.

Still, Mayo is taking no chances.

“I fish all the time, but I am not going to eat something that might hurt me,” said Mayo.

A list of waters of concern to local fishers:

Blackwater River, Escambia County, between the County Road 4 bridge and the Alabama/Florida state line, spotted bass, contaminant, Mercury, consumption level, One meal per month.

Bon Secour River, Baldwin County, vicinity of County Road 10 bridge, contaminant, Mercury; do not consume largemouth bass.

Cowpen Creek, Baldwin County, upstream of confluence with Fish River, largemouth bass; contaminant, Mercury; consumption level, one meal per month.

Fish River, Baldwin County, in vicinity of confluence with Polecat Creek approximately one mile upstream of County Road 32 bridge; largemouth bass; contaminant, Mercury; consumption level, - one meal per two months (or one-half meal per month).

Approximately two miles upstream of U.S. 98 Bridge in the vicinity of Waterhole Branch/Fish River confluence just above the two islands; largemouth bass; contaminant, Mercury; consumption level, two meals per month.

Gulf Coast, Baldwin, Mobile counties, entire coast; do not consume king mackerel over 39 inches, contaminant, Mercury; limited consumption of king mackerel under 39 inches.

Perdido River, Baldwin County, near confluence with Styx River in vicinity of U.S. Highway 90 bridge crossing; largemouth bass, contaminant – Mercury; consumption level, one meal per month for largemouth bass; two meals per month for River Redhorse.

Styx River, Baldwin County, Styx River near its confluence with Perdido River in vicinity of US 90 bridge crossing; contaminant, Mercury; consumption level, one meal per month for largemouth bass; limited consumption of channel catfish.

Tensaw River, Baldwin County; entire river; contaminant, Mercury; limited consumption of largemouth bass

The complete Alabama Department of Public Health list can be seen at: http://www.adph.org/news/assets/080722.pdf.