Would you eat a catfish from the Occoquan River? That's what someone with the username Urysohn on Fairfax Underground wants to know.
Urysohn originally posted the question on Aug. 4 and almost immediately received a few responses saying that eating an Occoquan catfish was not a wise choice.
"Tons of lawn fertilizer dumps into that river along with other nasty chemicals," one response read.
"Remember they are bottom feeders," another responded.
Another response advised only eating fish shorter than 18 inches from the river, and only once a month.
"From the reservoir eat all you want," the response added.
Do you fish in the Occoquan River? What are your thoughts?
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sandra
11:35 pm on Monday, August 6, 2012
I wouldn't eat catfish from any river because they are bottom feeders and eat all the crap at the bottom of the river.
James D. Stearns Sr. [Jim]
1:53 pm on Tuesday, August 7, 2012
Consumption Advisories and Restrictions in Effect for Virginia Waterways
Download a PDF of the fish advisory fact sheet
Fishing in Virginia waters provides many benefits including food and recreational enjoyment. Many fishermen keep, cook, and eat the fish they catch. The Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) routinely monitors fish from Virginia waters for contaminants and provides fish tissue sample results to the Virginia Department of Health (VDH) for analysis. While most Virginia waters do not have dangerous levels of contaminants, sometimes the fish in certain waters are found to contain chemicals at levels of concern.
The meal advisories listed in the tables are based on protecting the general public from adverse health effects of contaminants. A meal is considered to be an eight-ounce (half-pound) serving of fish.
http://www.vdh.virginia.gov/epidemiology/dee/publichealthtoxicology/Advisories/