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Old 04-19-2021, 12:37 PM   #1
saltierdog
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In need of WSB samples for mercury analysis

Many of us have had their mercury level tested to find it to be elevated. For years I've been trying to get government agencies to test adult WSB. The only analyses that has ever been done was in 2003 at that time 9 fish were sampled all but two were 28-30 inches representing just legal fish. The mercury content was on average 0.2PPM which alone should have triggered the development of guidance but because the sample size was too small there has never been any guidance with regard to how much how often and whom should consume.


From a NOOA scientist :
Based on the federal guidelines (https://www.fda.gov/media/102331/download), white sea bass probably fall somewhere between "Good" choices (i.e., no more than 1 serving per week that is no bigger than the palm of your hand) and "Choices to Avoid", Developing guidance for white sea bass consumption is the California Office of Environmental Health Hazard and Assessment (OEHHA). They are the state agency that is responsible for assessing risks associated with fish consumption in California and releasing fish consumption advisories. That being said, creating an advisory for that species will require a fair amount of data. I'd be willing to bet that if you provide them with data from your 50 lb animals, there's a decent chance that the mercury levels will be high enough to trigger a "do not consume" advisory for all white sea bass. Ideally, the advisory would be based on a range of sizes starting with the legal size and extending up to the big animals that you target. That way, it might be possible to structure an advisory that provides guidance on the biggest fish that is safe to eat on a regular basis, keeping in mind that the "safe" consumption of top predators is typically limited to the one meal per week or less.

So at this point I have finally found a Lab at Moss Landing that will do analysis for me. The cost will be about $125 per sample with a minimum of 20 fish.

So I'm am reaching out to the spearing community to help me conduct this study

What I need is a 1 inch cube of your fish skin on and frozen (vacuum sealed is preferred)
The sample should be taken from right behind the gill plate for standardization
I need total length of the fish, sex and gutted weight (gross weigh as well )

Samples can be dropped off at any of the dive shops Spear America or Neptonics or if you are attending the McNulty banquet I will be there as well collecting samples.

And you can always call or text me 310 529-8663

I have also set up a go-fund me if anyone is interested in helping out
http://www.gofundme.com/manage/mercu...o-team-welcome


on page 79 WSB analysis
https://19january2017snapshot.epa.go...ose_report.pdf

https://oehha.ca.gov/media/downloads...otocol2005.pdf
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joe
KEEPING ROCKY POINT OPEN

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Last edited by saltierdog; 04-19-2021 at 01:00 PM.
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Old 04-20-2021, 07:17 AM   #2
nilsonov
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Re: In need of WSB samples for mercury analysis

On the east coast we have labs that will do it for about that price (maybe even less), but without the 20 fish minimum. Let me know if you're not looking to test that many fish.
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Old 04-20-2021, 10:13 AM   #3
saltierdog
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Re: In need of WSB samples for mercury analysis

Quote:
Originally Posted by nilsonov View Post
On the east coast we have labs that will do it for about that price (maybe even less), but without the 20 fish minimum. Let me know if you're not looking to test that many fish.
Thanks I appreciate your help
But the lab at Moss landing and my contact there is the director of the state water board fish monitoring program so this study will be filling data gaps for the state. The results will automatically be sent to OEHHA for review.

https://www.waterboards.ca.gov/water...onitoring.html
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Men stumble over the truth from time to time,
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