2013–2014 Guide to Eating Ontario Sport Fish www.ontario.ca/fishguide s Location identifiers The tables are divided into three sections by region: Southern 1 Ontario, Northern Ontario and the Great Lakes, as noted along the side of each page. The location index is on page 306. Water body name.2 The latitude and longitude; for example, 453712/794206 refers 3 to 45˚37’12”N 79˚42’06”W The township, county, territorial district or geographical 4 description of the water body. Fish species Name of fish species tested (see “Selection of fish species 5 for testing section,” page 9). The table does not contain all species present at that particular location. Fish length, The total length of the fish is measured, from the tip of 67 the nose to the tip of the tail. The length is expressed in centimetres (cm) and inches (") at the top and bottom of the tables. Number of meals Recommended number of meals per month.8 Advice for general population.9 Advice for women of child-bearing age and children under 15 10 (sensitive population). , No advice provided for these lengths (page 5).1112 Contaminants The number identifies the contaminant or group of contaminant13 for which the fish was tested (page 4). 6 7 3 9 10 Check latest advisories on the interactive map at www.ontario.ca/fishguide Key to using guide tables 284 Length/ 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 70 75 >75 cm Longueur 6" 8" 10" 12" 14" 16" 18" 20" 22" 24" 26" 28" 30" >30" Lake / Lac Township/Canton, County/Cté 453712/794206 845Northern Pike5Brochet840842Walleye2Doré40 5131112 For advisories not listed in the Guide, refer to page 5  or call 1-800-820-2716. For certain locations, consumption advice may be given for specific species and/or size ranges which are not legal to possess under Ontario’s fishing regula-tions. Check the Fishing Ontario, Recreational Fishing Regulations Summaryto ensure that the particular water body is open to fishing or that all fish which are kept are legal to possess. Copies can be obtained from the Ministry of Natural Resources (1-800-667-1940 or www.mnr.gov.on.ca). To report a fishing violation, call 1-877-TIPS-MNR (847-7667) toll-free any time or call Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-8477. 1 Southern Ontario www.ontario.ca/fishguide Guide to Eating Ontario Sport Fish 2013-2014 Twenty-seventh Edition, Revised ©Queen’s Printer for Ontario, 2013 This book may be reproduced for non-commercial purposes with appropriate attribution. ISSN 0826-9653 (Print) ISBN 978-1-4606-0818-0 (Print, 2013-2014 ed.) ISSN 1712-8269 (Online) ISBN 978-1-4606-0819-7 (PDF, 2013-2014 ed.) A limited number of copies of this book are available from: Public Information Centre Ministry of the Environment 135 St. Clair Avenue West Toronto, Ontario M4V 1P5 416-325-4000 / 1-800-565-4923 [email protected] Cover illustration by Curtis Atwater Distributed free of charge PIBS 590B16 Contents Summary of critical information....................................................... 2 Instructions on use of the guide ....................................................... 3 Key to using guide tables........................................................... 3 To determine how much fish you can consume ........................................4 Contaminants in Ontario sport fish..................................................... 5 The basis for fish consumption advisories............................................... 6 Important advice for women of child-bearing age and children............................. 6 What part of the fish can be safely consumed? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Consumption advisory tables.......................................................... 7 Who should use this guide?......................................................... 7 Consumption advisories for spawning locations of salmon and trout .....................8 Species not included. ..............................................................8 The Sport Fish Contaminant Monitoring Program ........................................ 9 Selecting locations for testing ......................................................9 Selecting fish species for testing ....................................................9 Collecting and testing fish ......................................................... 10 Retesting of locations ............................................................10 Benefits versus risks of eating fish .................................................... 10 Reducing the risk from contaminants in sport fish ....................................11 Other consumption concerns......................................................... 12 Gobies.......................................................................... 12 Fish eggs .......................................................................12 Clams .......................................................................... 12 Snapping turtles .................................................................12 Fish parasites ...................................................................12 Tumours in fish ..................................................................13 Viral Hemorrhagic Septicemia (VHS)................................................ 14 Botulism E .....................................................................14 E. coli bacteria ..................................................................14 Microcystins .................................................................... 14 Fish “die-offs” ...................................................................14 Fish information ................................................................... 15 How to release fish............................................................... 15 Preserving and preparing your fish for cooking....................................... 15 Contaminants in fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Inorganic substances .............................................................16 Organic substances............................................................... 16 Pesticides....................................................................... 18 Other contaminants ..............................................................18 Causes of fish consumption advisories................................................. 19 The history of sport fish contaminant monitoring in Ontario .............................. 20 Additional information .............................................................. 22 Addresses ......................................................................... 23 Southern Ontario tables ............................................................. 26 Northern Ontario tables ............................................................ 126 Great Lakes tables................................................................. 269 Location index.................................................................... 306 Fish names ....................................................................... 316 Fish identification ....................................................... (centre pages) Great Lakes fish and your health .......................................... (centre pages) 1 About the guide Interactive map This 27th edition of the Guide to Eating An interactive and user-friendly Ontario Sport Fish gives advice to anglers searchable map is also available on the and their families for choosing sport fish website (www.ontario.ca/fishguide) and to minimize exposure to toxins. The guide displays all water bodies from the guide compiles information for more than 2,200 with their corresponding consumption locations around the province, including advisories. You can search for over 260 new locations. consumption advice by: • lake, river or stream name Staff from the Ontario Ministry of Natural • address, community, township, or city Resources and Ministry of the Environment • fish species collect the fish which are then analyzed The interactive map will help anglers by the Ministry of the Environment for a identify species and angling destinations variety of substances, including mercury, with lower contaminant levels. polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), mirex, DDT and dioxins. The results are used to develop the advisory tables which give Online survey size-specific consumption advice for In the past, valuable feedback has been each species and location tested. provided by users of the guide. We continue The format of the guide is similar to the to welcome any comments you may previous edition. However, there are many have and invite you to complete a short updates to the advisory tables reflecting survey available on our website approximately 150,000 new test results (www.ontario.ca/fishguide). performed on about 20,000 fish. Questions? Users of the guide are advised to read the For questions on the consumption introduction first and then proceed to the advisories, to obtain detailed data or for consumption tables. This is especially additional information on the results in important for sensitive populations: this and previous guides contact: women of child-bearing age (women Sport Fish Contaminant Monitoring Program who intend to become pregnant or are Ministry of the Environment pregnant) and children under 15, for 125 Resources Road which separate advisories are provided. Etobicoke, ON M9P 3V6 Telephone: 416-327-6816 or 1-800-820-2716 The guide is published every other year. E-mail: [email protected] An interactive version of the guide is available at www.ontario.ca/fishguide. Anyone requiring information on fishing licenses, angling regulations, limits of catch, Updates open seasons, provincial parks, maps or Any major changes in consumption advice hunting should contact a Ministry of Natural that arise between guide publications Resources office (see page 24) or visit their are made public on our website web site at www.mnr.gov.on.ca. (www.ontario.ca/fishguide). To report pollution and/or related fish kills, contact your nearest Ministry of the Environment office or the Ministry’s Spills Action Centre at 1-800-268-6060 (see page 23). 2 Introduction It is highly recommended that you read the entire introduction to the guide before referring to the advisory tables. Should you choose not to, please read the following two sections entitled “Summary of critical information” and “Instructions on use of the guide” with page references for more detail. Summary of • D o not harvest dead or dying fish as they critical information may contain harmful microorganisms or toxins (page 14). • U se the guide to find out how much fish • A lways follow proper food handling and you can safely consume. Contaminant storage techniques, as you would with any levels vary with location, and type and fresh meat product, to prevent the growth size of fish, so follow the consumption of harmful bacteria (page 15). advisories in this guide. • G reat Lakes salmon and trout are more • Y oung children and developing fetuses are likely to have high levels of contaminants affected by contaminants at lower levels such as PCBs and dioxins/furans. Check than the general population (page 6). the consumption tables and consume only As such, women of child-bearing age and the skinless, boneless dorsal fillet of these children under 15 are advised to consume fish (page 7). The flesh on the lower only the least contaminated fish, those in portion of the fish (belly) has a higher fat the 8 and 4 meal a month category. content and therefore can have higher • C onsumption advice is based on the levels of some contaminants. skinless, boneless dorsal fillet (page 10). • M ercury is the major contaminant in fish Do not eat organs of any fish. Fish organs caught from inland locations. Because can be high in both heavy metals and mercury is distributed evenly throughout pesticides (page 7). Do not eat the eggs the fillet, the full side fillet can generally of Great Lakes fish, as they generally be consumed (page 7). Refer to the contain higher levels of contaminants. consumption tables. • Consumption advice in the tables is • F ish, such as walleye and pike that are based on an average meal size of 227 at the top of the food web usually have grams (eight ounces; approximately the highest mercury levels. Smaller, the length of a dinner plate) for an younger fish and fish that are not top average size adult weighing 70 kilograms predators, such as panfish and Yellow (154 pounds). It is assumed that smaller Perch, are lower in contaminants. You individuals will consume a smaller portion can reduce your contaminant intake and larger individuals will consume a by choosing to eat fish that are lower larger portion. If you are an average in contaminants (page 11). size adult and your average meal size is • I f in doubt, contact the Sport Fish substantially less than 227 grams (eight Contaminant Monitoring Program ounces), you may consume more meals (416-327-6816, 1-800-820-2716 or than recommended. But if your meal size [email protected]). is substantially more than 227 grams (eight • B efore going fishing, ensure that it is legal ounces), you should consume fewer than to fish in the area and that you have the the recommended number of meals. required license (www.mnr.gov.on.ca). Contact the Sport Fish Contaminant Monitoring Program for specific advice. Introduction 3 Instructions on use of the guide Key to using guide tables The guide provides sport fish consumption advice based on the level of contaminants found in fish according to their location, species and length. The water body names and locations were obtained from the Gazetteer of Canada (Ontario) or the Canadian Geographical Names Service. The location description includes latitude and longitude, enabling anglers to refer to the Ontario Official Road Map (which is marked accordingly) to determine the general location of the body of water. Larger scale topographical maps can then be used if necessary to pinpoint the exact location. The following is a key to the various components of the tables, using a hypothetical example called Lake. 1 2 4 8 6 Sou LLeonnggtuhe/u r 165" 280" 1205" 1320" 1345" 1460" 1485" 2500" 2525" 2640" 2665" 2780" 3705" >>7350 "cm 7 th Lake / Lac e rn Township/Canton, County/Cté 453712/794206 3 O Northern Pike5 8 4 9 n ta Brochet5 8 4 0 10 rio Walleye2 8 4 /S Doré2 4 0 u d d e l’O 5 13 11 12 n ta r io Location Length of fish 1 The tables are divided into three 6, 7 The total length of the fish is sections by region: Southern Ontario, measured, from the tip of the nose to Northern Ontario and the Great Lakes, the tip of the tail. The fish length is as noted along the side of each page. expressed in both centimeters (cm) The alphabetical location index is and inches (”) at the top and bottom on page 306. of the tables. 2 Water body name. Number of meals 3 The latitude and longitude; for example, 8 Recommended number of meals per month 453712/794206 refers to 45˚37’12”N 79˚42’06”W 9 Advice for general population 4 The township, county, territorial 10 Advice for women of child-bearing district or geographical description age and children under 15 of the water body. (sensitive population) Type of fish 11, 12 No advice provided for these 5 Name of fish species tested (see lengths (page 5) “Selecting fish species for testing” section, page 9). The table does not contain all species present at that particular location, only those that have been tested for contaminants. 4 Introduction Contaminants To determine how much 13 The number identifies the contaminant fish you can consume: or group of contaminants for which the Step 1: Find the table for the water body fish was tested: where the fish was caught. The guide tables 1. Mercury are divided into Southern Ontario (south of the French River), Northern Ontario and the 2. M ercury, polychlorinated Great Lakes. The alphabetical location index biphenyls (PCBs), mirex/ is on page 306. photomirex and pesticides 3. PCBs, mirex/photomirex Step 2: Identify the type of fish caught. and pesticides Refer to the centre pages for more information on how to identify fish generally 4. Mercury, PCBs and mirex found in Ontario waterbodies. 5. M ercury, other metals, PCBs, mirex/photomirex and pesticides Step 3: Measure the total length of the 6. Mercury and other metals fish (tip of nose to tip of tail) and refer to the appropriate length range at the top or 7. Dioxins and furans bottom of the table. 8. C hlorinated phenols and chlorinated benzenes Step 4: Check for the advisory. The upper row of advice (no shading) is for 9. P olycyclic aromatic the general population and the lower hydrocarbons (PAHs) row (grey shading) is for women of child- 10. D ioxins, furans and bearing age and children under 15 dioxin-like PCBs (sensitive population). The number that 11. PCB congeners appears in the consumption advice box 12. P olybrominated diphenyl ethers represents the maximum number of meals (PBDEs) and polychlorinated of that size fish from that location that can naphthalenes (PCNs) be consumed each month, provided that 13. P erfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl sport fish are not consumed from any other substances (PFAS) also known as category. The number of meals per month perfluorinated compounds (PFCs) (categories) may be 8, 4, 2, 1, or 0 (none) [including perfluorooctane as indicated. sulfonic acid (PFOS)] Example The fact that fish were tested for a particular An angler catches a 33 cm (13 in.) walleye group of contaminants does not mean that from Lake and wants to determine the the fish will contain any or all of these suitability of that fish for consumption. contaminants. For example, fish analyzed The angler should: for contaminant group 2 may contain only mercury and not PCBs, mirex/photomirex • Find Lake in the guide tables or pesticides. Length/ 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 cm In a number of locations, particularly inland Longueur 6" 8" 10" 12" 14" 16" 18" 20" 22" 24" 26" Lake / Lac locations, fish are analyzed only for mercury Township/Canton, County/Cté 453712/794206 Walleye2 8 4 as this is likely to be the only contaminant to Doré2 4 0 cause consumption restrictions. For more details on the contaminants listed above, see the “Contaminants in fish” section on page 16. Introduction 5 • General population: Category Fraction of Percentage For the general population the advice given (Fish meals monthly of monthly for walleye in the 30-35 cm (12-14 in.) range per month) intake total intake total is 8, indicating that eight meals per month of that fish can be safely consumed by the 8 1⁄8 12.5 general population. 4 1⁄4 25 • Sensitive population: 2 1⁄2 50 For women of child-bearing age and 1 1 100 children under 15 the advice given for walleye in the 30-35 cm (12-14 in.) range is Example: 4, indicating that four meals per month of If you eat: that fish can be safely consumed by women • T wo meals in the four-meal-per-month of child-bearing age and children under 15. category, each meal will represent Consumption of fish outside one-quarter or 25% of your maximum the advisory table range monthly advised consumption for a The table does not contain all types of fish total of one-half or 50% of your maximum at that location, only those that have been monthly advised consumption (2 meals x tested for contaminants. Advisories are 1⁄4 = ½ or 50%). provided only for the size ranges of fish and also eat that were tested. Since it is well known • O ne meal in the two-meal-per-month that contaminant levels generally increase category, that meal will represent with fish length, the following rules can one-half or 50% of your monthly advised be applied: consumption (1 meal x ½ = ½ or 50%). • F or fish smaller than the advisory table The total from these two groups equals range: Follow the advice for the smallest 1 or 100%. Therefore, you would have tested range. reached your total monthly advised • F or fish larger than the advisory table consumption, and no more fish should range: Consumption advice cannot be consumed. be predicted, except that it is likely to If you have any questions about how be more restrictive than the largest to determine what level of fish is safe tested range. This means fewer of these to consume, contact the Sport Fish fish should be consumed. Contaminant Monitoring Program at Step 5: Keep track of your total monthly 416-327-6816, 1-800-820-2716 or intake. Sport fish consumption advice is [email protected]. based on a combination of fish size, species Please check latest advisories on the and location. You may eat fish from different interactive map at www.ontario.ca/fishguide. categories and locations as long as you track your consumption. Track each fish meal Contaminants in as a fraction or percentage of your total monthly intake (as shown in the following Ontario sport fish chart), the sum of which should not Ontario is not unique in having consumption exceed 1 (for the fraction) or 100%. restrictions on sport fish. Most jurisdictions in North America also have them. An extensive review of consumption 6 Introduction restrictions on sport fish in North Important advice America is available on the Internet for women of at www.epa.gov/waterscience/fish/. child-bearing age and The contaminants found in sport fish can children under 15 come from local sources and from sources thousands of kilometers away. Air- borne It is important that women of contaminants can travel long distances child-bearing age (women who in the atmosphere, and return to the earth intend to become pregnant or are in rain and snowfall. Mercury, PCBs and pregnant) and children under 15 toxaphene are a few of the contaminants follow the advice in this guide. that are known to be transported long Scientific studies show that developing distances and can cause low-level fetuses and young children are affected contamination even in isolated lakes by contaminants at lower levels than and rivers. the general population. Women of child-bearing age, including pregnant The basis for fish women and nursing mothers, can consumption advisories affect the health of their baby through a diet elevated in contaminants such Fish consumption advisories are generally as mercury and PCBs. This sensitive based on guidelines developed by the population is advised to eat only the Food Directorate of Health Canada. The least contaminated fish (in the 8 and Directorate determines safe dosages for 4 meals per month categories), as an extensive list of contaminants through reflected in the consumption advisory research and review of toxicological data. tables. The exact number of meals This is referred to as a tolerable daily intake. that can be consumed can be They also determine the proportion of the tolerable daily intake that comes from air, calculated by following the directions water and different types of food, including in the “Instructions on use of the guide” sport fish. section (page 3). These individuals should further reduce The tolerable daily intake for mercury is lower for the sensitive population of their consumption of sport fish if they women of child-bearing age and children regularly consume (four times per under 15. For the other contaminants, month or more often) store-bought or the tolerable dosage is the same for both commercial fish including canned fish, populations. As an added precaution, the and should not consume sport fish if sensitive population is advised to consume they are consumers of Shark, fish only in the 8 and 4 meal per month Swordfish, fresh or frozen Tuna. Health categories (as reflected in the consumption Canada suggests that predatory fish advisory tables). such as Shark, Swordfish, fresh and frozen Tuna (not canned) should be A series of estimates and calculations are consumed only occasionally. As a done by the Ministry of the Environment to general guideline, reduce consumption determine if fish are suitable for consumption of sport fish by one meal per month based on measured contaminant levels. for every two meals of store-bought Fish represented in the 8 meals per month fish. This does not apply to the general category have very low contaminant levels. population. For further advice on store- Conversely, fish designated as zero (0) meals per month have high contaminant levels and bought fish, contact the Canadian Food the consumption of any meals of these fish Inspection Agency or Health Canada would result in individuals exceeding (see page 24).