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Home > Data > Mercury in Fish

Mercury in Fish Data

  • Purpose: To determine the health risk of eating fish caught in Rhode Island by monitoring the rate of mercury in fish in various water bodies in Rhode Island.
  • Findings:
    • Fish from Wincheck/Yawgoog and Quidnick reservoir are unsafe to eat.
    • Only stocked trout are safe from Medowbrook Pond.

Environmental Protection Agency Data of Mercury in Fish, by Body of Water for the years 1996-2000

Water Body

All Fish
Total Samples

Corrected (1)
Total Samples

# Samples
Over 0.3ppm Std

% Samples
Over 0.3ppm Std

Belleville

32

15

0

0

Blackstone River

7

6

0

0

Chapman

32

20

0

0

Gilbert Stuart

33

22

0

0

Gorton

25

15

0

0

Mashpaug

16

11

0

0

Oak Swamp

11

9

0

0

Saugatucket

24

14

0

0

Simmons Reservoir - upper

17

8

0

0

Warwick

18

13

0

0

Breakheart Pond

28

17

1

6

Asa

23

13

1

8

Eisenhower Lake

34

20

2

10

Curran Reservoir - upper

13

7

1

14

Hundred Acre Pond

37

13

2

15

Indian Lake

23

12

2

17

Ashville Pond

18

9

2

22

Alton

26

12

3

25

Browning Mill Pond

31

20

5

25

Larkin Pond

16

8

4

25

Locustville Pond

22

16

4

25

Tioge

7

4

1

25

Boone Lake

25

15

4

27

Pawtuxet River

28

25

7

28

Wyoming Pond

21

14

4

29

Yawgoo Pond

25

15

6

40

Watchaug

30

16

7

44

Tucker

5

3

(2)

(2)

Subtotal

622

369

56

15%

Trout in Meadowbrook Pond

Dept. of Environmental Management Stocks with Trout

All other Fish in Meadowbrook

25

17

10

59

Wincheck/Yawgoog

37

17

10

59

Quidnick Reservoir

18

11

8

73

Total

707

417

84

20%

Notes:
 1) Corrected total removes all: Largemouth bass, Smallmouth bass,  Chain pickerel, Black crappie, and Eel samples
(2) Insufficient data to ban sale / consumption.

LEGEND
 All Levels: No consumption for small children (0-6years) or women who are pregnant, nursing, or planning a pregnancy

LEVEL

% > 0.3 PPM Hg

CODE

HEALTH ADVISORIES

0

<10%

Everyone else can consume any amount safely.

1

10% to <30%

Everyone else can consume 1 meal per week

2

30% to 50%

Everyone else can consume 1 meal per month

3

>50%

BAN SALE - NO CONSUMPTION