Lake Chelan Lake Trout: A Guide to Safe Fish Eating

Eat Fish, Be Smart

Check for local fish advisories.

Call 1-877-485-7316 or visit www.doh.wa.gov/fish

Safe Fish Eating Guide

Ways to Enjoy Lake Chelan Fish

While Protecting Your Health

In 2005 the Washington State Department of

Ecology completed a water quality study for

Lake Chelan and Roses Lake. This study looked

at DDT and PCB levels in lake trout (mackinaw)

burbot, kokanee, rainbow trout, and black crap-

pie. Results showed high levels of DDT in lake

trout. The Washington State Department of

Health (DOH) evaluated these results and has

issued a fish consumption advisory for lake trout

in Lake Chelan.

DOH recommends that the general public -

especially women who might become preg-

nant, who are pregnant, nursing mothers,

and young children limit lake trout

(mackinaw) to one meal per week.

Lake Chelan Lake Trout Contain DDT

DDT is banned today, but once was used widely

as an insecticide to control insect pests on crops

and forest lands, around homes and gardens, and

for industrial and commercial purposes. DDT is

slow to degrade and can persist in the environ-

ment for a long period of time. DDT was banned

in 1972 because it posed unacceptable risks to the

environment and to human health.

What is DDT?

Remove all the fat.

Do not eat the fish skin.

Grill, broil or bake the

fish.

Let the fat drip off dur-

ing cooking

Do not use the fat in

gravies or sauces.

Mercury is stored in the

fillet and will not be

reduced by preparing

this way.

Health Benefits

Gained From Eating Fish

Fish is healthy heart and brain food for you

and your children.

Fish are an

excelle

nt source of

omega-3 fatty acids

which are not found

naturally in our

bodies.

They are essential

during preg

nancy

for the healthy development of your child’s brain,

retina, and nerve tissue.

Omega -3 fatty acids help prevent heart disease by

reducing bl

ood pressure, inflammation, and blood

clotting, which can prevent stroke.

How To Clean and Cook Fish

To Reduce Contaminants

Choose fish low in contaminants and

prepare fish properly to reduce your exposure

to contaminants, while continuing to gain the

health benefits in fish.

By preparing fish the following way, you can

reduce your e

xposure to DDT, PCBs, and other

contaminants that collect in the fatty parts of

fish by up to 50 %:

Fish To Limit From Lake Chelan

Lake Trout (Mackinaw):

The general public, especially women who might

become pregnant, who are pregnant, nursing

mothers, and young children should limit lake

trout to one meal per week due to DDT.

Fish With No Limits- Enjoy!

These fish are good choices to eat because they

are low in contaminants.

Lake Chelan:

Burbot, k

okanee, and rainbow trout.

Store-Bought Fish:

Some g

ood choices are canned light tuna, cod,

flounder, salmon, and trout.

Where To Get Answers About:

Lake Trout in Lake Chelan

Chelan-Douglas Health District, 509-886-6450

Fish Advisories in Washington State

Department of Health, 1-877-485-7316

www.doh.wa.gov/fish

Lake Chelan Water Quality & TMDL

Department of Ecology, 360-407-6900

www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/wq/tmdl

Lake Chelan Lake Trout:

A Guide to Safe Fish Eating

The most sensitive health effect associated with

DDT exposure is liver damage. Additional health

effects that have been associated with acute and

chronic DDT exposure include effects to the cen-

tral nervous system, immune system, and neuro-

development. Fish consumption limits protect

against the most sensitive health effect (liver

damage), which assures that the public is protect-

ed against additional health effects.

How Does DDT Affect Health?

How Does DDT Get Into

Lake Chelan & Lake Trout?

In Lake Chelan and other surface water, DDT

binds to particles in the water and settles into the

sediment at the bottom of lakes and rivers. Fish

absorb DDT from contaminated sediment

floating in the water and from eating other fish.

DDT accumulates in the fatty parts of fish.

The general population is affected by this advisory,

especially infants and young children who are

most sensitive to DDT exposure while their brains

are still developing. Women of child-bearing age

accumulate DDT in their diet and can pass it on to

their unborn children. Children can be exposed by

eating foods contaminated with DDT. While

breast milk can contain DDT, we still recommend

that breastfeeding continue. The benefits of

breastfeeding outweigh the risks that are associated

with DDT exposure.

Who Is Affected By This Advisory?

For More Information:

Chelan-Douglas Health District

509-886-6450

Washington State Department of Health

877-485-7316

Lake Trout (Mackinaw)

For people with disabilities, this document is available

in other formats upon request. To submit a request,

please call 1-800-525-0127 (TDD/TTY call 711).

Statewide Mercury Advisory

DOH advises that women of childbearing age and

young children should limit the amount they eat of

these fish due to high levels of mercury:

Largemouth and Smallmouth Bass:

 Washington Lakes and Rivers Statewide -

Consume no more than 2 meals per month

of largemouth and smallmouth bass.

Store-Bought Fish:

 Do not eat shark, swordfish, tilefish, king

mackerel or tuna steaks.

 Choose light canned tuna, not white. Light

canned tuna has 3 times less mercury than

canned white (albacore) tuna. Other choices low

in mercury are cod, flounder, salmon, and trout.

The Health Effects From Exposure to Mercury

Mercury can cause problems with the nervous sys-

tem that can lead to learning difficulties in children.

Other effects include tingling in the hands and feet,

lack of coordination, and brain and kidney damage.

If you follow these recommendations, you will help

keep your exposure to mercury low.

DOH 334-084 June 2006

Lake trout image is courtesy of Windsor Nature Discovery

1-800-635-4194 or www.nature-discovery.com