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Ekali Lake health advisory
Consumption guidelines set for Northern pike and walleyeRoxanna Thompson Northern News Services Published Thursday, February 16, 2012 Last August an advisory was issued for Northern pike and walleye from McGill and Deep Lake. On Feb. 9, another advisory was issued for the same fish species in Ekali Lake, also known as Kelly Lake, located just off Highway 1, 30 kilometres from Jean Marie River.
Sampling conducted last August found mercury levels in pike and walleye in Ekali Lake are above Health Canada's recommendations, said Dr. Kami Kandola, the territory's deputy chief public health officer.
Health Canada has established guidelines for the consumption of fish with mercury levels beginning at 0.5 parts per million (ppm) Walleye in the lake were found to have a mean mercury level of 0.54 ppm, just over the acceptable threshold. The mean mercury level for sampled Northern pike was slightly higher at 0.62 ppm.
Based on the levels, people are advised to eat no more than 150 grams of either species per week, the equivalent of two servings the size of a deck of playing cards.
Recommended consumption levels
Recommended consumption levels are lower for pregnant or breastfeeding women and children under the age of 11.
As long as people adhere to the guidelines, eating fish from Ekali Lake shouldn't be a problem, said Kandola.
"I want people to eat fish but I want people to eat fish safely," she said.
Fish are a good source of omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin D and B as well as protein, but people need to be aware of the mercury levels so they can make an informed decision, she said.
Kandola said the mercury levels in whitefish in Ekali Lake are well below Health Canada's consumption guidelines.
"You can eat a lot of whitefish," she said.
Even if people do consume Northern pike and walleye, they would have to eat it weekly over a long period before seeing any negative effects, said Kandola. Although mercury can accumulate through regular fish consumption, the body is able to slowly eliminate it, she said.
Mercury is a nerotoxin that interferes with the brain and nervous system. The effects of long-term exposure in adults include numbness in the fingers and toes, problems with vision and hearing and difficulty speaking.
Mercury is a naturally occurring element that when converted by bacteria into methylmercury can be absorbed by fish and accumulate in their flesh. Predators, such as walleye and pike, have higher mercury levels because they absorb the mercury in their prey, Kandola said.
Mercury can also be created by human activities such as the burning of fossil fuels. This process emits mercury into the air and it is later deposited in the environment.
Fish sampled for mercury were gathered by Aboriginal Aquatic Resource and Oceans Management (AAROM) as part of a larger study about habitat ecology and state of fish stocks in the five lakes that Jean Marie River wants to protect as part of the Five Fish Lake protected area.
This winter, AAROM has also been collecting fish samples for testing from Willow Lake, Big Island Lake, Tathlina Lake and Trout Lake. The department is directed by the Deh Cho communities to which lakes are the most important to them and focuses on those, said George Low, the Deh Cho's AAROM co-ordinator.
In light of the public health advisories for the three lakes near Jean Marie River, Low is applying to Health Canada and the Northern Contaminants Program for funding to do a study about a return to country food.
Low said the study will look at how people feel about fish as a result of the advisories and will determine which fish stocks are safe to eat. For Jean Marie River, part of the study would involve fishing down Ekali Lake to remove some of the larger pike and walleye.
With the larger fish gone, the mean mercury level in the fish will likely be reduced because older and larger fish accumulate more mercury, Low said.
Low presented the public health advisory to the Jean Marie River First Nation band council on Feb. 8.
A number of concerns
Chief Stan Sanguez said he has a number of concerns about the advisory.
"It's confusing for me and the people and the public at large," he said. "You have to be a scientist to understand it."
Sanguez said the advisories have to be written in plain language so people understand if it is safe to eat the fish. Sanguez said community members have been phoning him to ask if they should be eating fish.
"Everyone is going to be scared of fish now," he said.
The community plans to bring a specialist in from Health Canada during the summer to teach the community and the youth about where the mercury is coming from.
Sanguez would also like to see a study conducted on how long fish in the lakes have had elevated mercury levels.
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