Safe Catch: Learn More About It

Many people have fond and exciting memories of fishing the Great Lakes, and look forward to the weekend when they can go trolling for black bass, pike, muskie and perch, or take to the open waters in search of walleye, sauger and lake trout.

Yet the health of Great Lake fish - and in some cases the very survival of an entire species - is at risk. Contaminated by heavy metals and organic chemicals - like mercury and PCBs - fish populations are folding under the impact of birth defects, genetic mutations, stunted growth and other developmental problems.

Threats to aquatic life become threats to human health when contaminated fish end up on our tables. All of the Great Lakes and their connecting channels are currently under fish consumption advisories for one or more toxic chemicals. Mercury contaminated fish in particular are of great concern - potentially causing birth defects, high blood pressure, infertility and even brain damage.

Water quality in the Great Lakes and related inland waters is directly related to the amount of human activity in the area. From the earliest forest and agricultural development, which left streams and bays clogged with sawdust and topsoil, to urban and industrial development that dumped bacterial and chemical waste directly into the Lakes, we cannot ignore the negative consequences of our development activities. The water quality of the Great Lakes is not only important because of the role the Lakes play as a source of drinking water and recreation, but also because they are at the heart of our regional biological diversity, the ecosystem which sustains all life in the region.

For decades, Great Lakes water quality has been threatened by toxic pollutants such as mercury, PCBs and agricultural pesticides. Some of these chemicals entered the aquatic system through direct dumping, such as PCBs from paper mill waste, or indirect pathways, such as field-water run-off and power plant air pollution.

Chemicals and other toxics that were dumped in the Great Lakes decades ago continue to threaten the Lakes today as contaminated sediments. PCBs and DDT, both banned in the 1970's, have settled in the sand, clay, silt and organic matter found at the bottom of the Lakes and other regional water bodies. Bottom feeders, such as tiny crustaceans and insect larvae, absorb these chemicals and can pass them on to fish, waterfowl and eventually to humans through a process known as "biomagnification." Human health, the tourism economy and native biodiversity are all threatened by persistent contaminated sediments.

Bacterial contaminations of the Great Lakes, from untreated sewage dumping and livestock facilities, pose an equally dangerous threat to human and ecosystem health. Fecal coliform and e. coli bacteria from animal feces, dirty diapers, failing septic systems and municipal sewer overflows can contribute to higher levels of bacteria. The results are closed beaches and illness for boaters, swimmers and others entering or consuming water from the Great Lakes. In 2005, there were 2,740 days of beach closings or advisories.

The increased organic matter (along with phosphorus from lawn and agricultural fertilizers) in the waters also contributes to algae growth, oxygen depletion in the water, and threatens Lakes aquatic life. Lake Erie, historically one of the most polluted of the Great Lakes, currently suffers a growing 100-mile "dead zone," where life in the lake is nearly extinguished on an annual basis due to oxygen depletion.

The Great Lakes are not only the heart of the region's ecosystem, they are the heart of the region's economy. Tourism in the Great Lakes region generates billions of dollars each year, but contaminated fish, closed beaches, and degraded scenic beauty caused by polluted waters threaten this important revenue source. In 2003, Lake Michigan suffered its highest number of beach closings ever, a potential economic indicator for the future of Great Lakes tourism if we don't clean up our waters. And finally, the United States Environmental Protection Agency has identified more than 43 areas of concern in the Great Lakes basin, areas where continuous pollution and water quality standards have not been met.

The situation is not good, but it's not too late to make a difference. We all have a responsibility to protect and conserve the Great Lakes, not for a single interest, but for our families, for wildlife, and for the future. We cannot wait for disaster to happen. We can all take steps now to help keep the Lakes healthy forever. Click here to find out what you can do.