Should you "eat" a 'skie?

[HD]

Don't Eat 'skies
I know we're preachin' to the choir here, but you probably shouldn't eat muskies....

Of course, we've discussed the benefits of catch-and-release, let 'em go let 'em grow, etc. but now the science-y folks are even saying you should steer clear.



Here's what they had to say:

"Muskellunge tissue samples (N=96) were collected from impoundments (N=2) and natural lakes (N=3). The maximum mercury concentration was 3.049 mg/kg.

"Muskellunge are regulated with a 1016 mm (40 inch) minimum length limit in Iowa and the mean mercury concentration for fish >1016 mm was 0.853 mg/kg.

"Therefore, Muskellunge were identified as the only species with a do-not-eat advisory (i.e., mercury concentration ≥1.0 mg/kg) for the ARP."

This isn't news to some folks, but for everyone else.... now ya know!

But what happens if you consume too much mercury? Here's what we found via Rhode Island Dept. of Health:

"Mercury can harm brain development at relatively low levels and can be toxic to adults at high levels. Mercury is found in nearly all fish and is the biggest concern for eating fish."

It all makes sense now.... 😉

[roony]

Make thermometers out of em.

[Rodwork]

So are the cheeks still ok to eat? I can toss the rest of the fish back to let it grow.

I always assumed that the older the fish the more mercury it will have because it has had more time to absorb it. I wonder if a 5 year old muskie has the same mg/kg as a 5 year old walleye or crappie?

[LPS]

Exactly, the bigger the fish the worse it is to eat them.