Proposed Consumption Advisories of Lake Trout for Lake Pend Oreille and Yellowstone Lake

Mercury levels in fish are a growing health concern across the nation.  Mercury is a potent environmental toxin known to cause neurodevelopmental deficits in children, which are the most sensitive population, and at higher doses, cause cardiovascular effects in adults.  The major route of mercury exposure is through consumption of fish.  Previous studies have shown that mercury concentrations increase as fish grow in length.   To avoid the potential risks associated with eating fish, people fishing from local bodies of water should be aware of the length of their catch, and be aware of the state issued consumption advisories for local lakes and streams.  Advisories generally include number of meals per month for various length brackets for two main populations, the general public, and the sensitive populations, including children, pregnant and/or nursing women, and the elderly.  Advisories for lake trout from Lake Pend Oreille, Idaho lack a length-based system, and offer advice based solely on the number of fish consumed per month.  The advisory for lake trout from Yellowstone Lake, Wyoming uses a length-based guideline, but lacks a specific advisory for both populations.  In this study, samples of 50 lake trout from each lake were analyzed for mercury using an EPA combustion method 7473.  These concentrations were used to propose more complete advisories for Lake Pend Oreille and Yellowstone Lake based on published US EPA recommendations for fish consumption.