Mercury Contamination: California Wants 187 Reservoirs to Issue Fish Consumption Warnings

Aug 08, 20160

California, beset by drought, has another water problem: reservoirs so contaminated with mercury that state officials want to issue warnings on fish consumption for 180 of 300 the state sampled.

Most of the water bodies are clustered in central and southern California, according to a map compiled by the State Water Resources Control Board, which conducted the mercury sampling. Many are popular fishing spots, and reservoir owners are being asked to post voluntary warnings about consuming fish such as bass, the Los Angeles Times reported on July 29.

“Mercury is absorbed by bacteria and transformed into an organic form known as methylmercury. It then spirals up the food chain from tiny invertebrates to small fish, finally concentrating in the bigger fish that eat them,” the Los Angeles Times explained. “Bass are among the biggest and most voracious.”