Fishing in Toronto story in the Globe

[woodenboater]

Saw this in Saturday's Globe and Mail. Gee is a columnist covering the circus that is Toronto city hall so this is an interesting piece from him.

 

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/toronto/torontos-clean-little-secret-the-fishing-is-healthy/article13933727/#dashboard/follows/

[highdrifter]

Right On!!

[Rich]

That is a real good piece there. Should be helpful to a lot of residents of Toronto, and other major cities for that matter.

[ehg]

Shows that with a little effort the cesspool around biggest city in Canada recovered to be great sport fishing spot.

Any place can recover quickly when industry stops dumping its toxins.

[Richie Razor]

Lol I'll agree with the water quality improving, but are you really willing to dunk your head underwater at any of the beaches in TO? Not me lol

Secondly I still refuse to consume any fish from Lake Ontario due to the fact that is still is a dumping grounds for all the other Great Lakes.... This article has a hidden agenda behind it, and it's lousy to say the least. Real fishermen know the waters where they fish and the quality of their quarry.

[BillM]

Lol I'll agree with the water quality improving, but are you really willing to dunk your head underwater at any of the beaches in TO? Not me lol

Secondly I still refuse to consume any fish from Lake Ontario due to the fact that is still is a dumping grounds for all the other Great Lakes.... This article has a hidden agenda behind it, and it's lousy to say the least. Real fishermen know the waters where they fish and the quality of their quarry.

 

So all those charter guys cleaning fish for their guests are laughing behind their backs? Lots of people eat fish out of Lake O, lots of people swim in it as well. I haven't heard of people dropping dead because of it have you?

[pics]

I would trust a lake O fish before I'd trust a basa or Tilapia from the grocery store.....

[Richie Razor]

 

So all those charter guys cleaning fish for their guests are laughing behind their backs? Lots of people eat fish out of Lake O, lots of people swim in it as well. I haven't heard of people dropping dead because of it have you?

The charter guys have been pulling spoons and cut bait for decades in lake o during the bad times and good. They run a business and are allowed to profit regardless of the quality of the fish their fishing for. I got no problem with that, they have the customers and they are willing to pay to fish.

 

All I'm saying is the trout and salmon in lake o still have higher than "normal" toxins in the flesh, it's no secret.... Im sure you have't heard of people dropping dead from eating the fish from lake o, but there are concrete examples of people developing leukoemia and other cancers from consuming fish high in various toxins. Check out the publication the ministry puts out yearly on consuming Ontario game fish.

 

Do you even eat fish?

[Richie Razor]

I would trust a lake O fish before I'd trust a basa or Tilapia from the grocery store.....

I agree with thus statement. However some tilapia is farmed in the USA

Edited August 29, 2013 by Chotchkies House

[chris_robinson]

The charter guys have been pulling spoons and cut bait for decades in lake o during the bad times and good. They run a business and are allowed to profit regardless of the quality of the fish their fishing for. I got no problem with that, they have the customers and they are willing to pay to fish.

 

All I'm saying is the trout and salmon in lake o still have higher than "normal" toxins in the flesh, it's no secret.... Im sure you have't heard of people dropping dead from eating the fish from lake o, but there are concrete examples of people developing leukoemia and other cancers from consuming fish high in various toxins. Check out the publication the ministry puts out yearly on consuming Ontario game fish.

 

Do you even eat fish?

 

MOE's guidelines aren't anywhere near as strict for Lake Ontario as you suggest. An MOE scientist was out last year for one of the regular "Lake Ontario Evenings" and talked about how much better the fish are now, and that within the guidelines, they are safe to eat.

 

What "hidden agenda" are you claiming is behind the article? A bigger problem is the agenda that still tries to frighten people away from the Great Lakes - the anti's do this with scare campaigns to keep people from fishing.

 

Yours in Conservation,

Chris Robinson

OFAH

FMZ 20 Advisory Council Member

[Richie Razor]

MOE's guidelines aren't anywhere near as strict for Lake Ontario as you suggest. An MOE scientist was out last year for one of the regular "Lake Ontario Evenings" and talked about how much better the fish are now, and that within the guidelines, they are safe to eat.

 

What "hidden agenda" are you claiming is behind the article? A bigger problem is the agenda that still tries to frighten people away from the Great Lakes - the anti's do this with scare campaigns to keep people from fishing.

 

Yours in Conservation,

Chris Robinson

OFAH

FMZ 20 Advisory Council Member

 

 

Do you know exactly how strict the MOE guidelines are? If so please explain, because all the information I know on eating sportfish in Ontario comes from that little book you get at the LCBO, and my own personal knowledge of the history on the body of water I’m fishing.

I wouldn’t call the sportfish in Lake Ontario “safe to eat” just yet, when the consumption advisories are 0 and when you see the toxins tested for in these fish, and the genesis of them, it should make one use their brain and determine if they should really be consuming these fish.

 

Here is the link for Salmonids from Lake Ontario from the MOE Guide - http://www.downloads.ene.gov.on.ca/files/fishguide/en/advisories/LAKE43357943.html

Those little numbers by the fish specie indicate the toxins that the fish was tested for – check them out too.

The consumption guidelines are determined by these tests according to this guide… I mean if the MOE if telling us to watch what we consume from Lake Ontario, and other lake in Ontario shouldn’t we at least look at it in more detail to make an informed decision?

 

The “hidden agenda” that I was pointing at was the article has a “promotional feel” to it, it’s no surprise, they want more people to enjoy the lake and by advertising cleaner water, they are hoping to eliminate or loosen people’s connotations on what Lake Ontario was… or still is. Lol

I mean, newspapers and journalists are always correct on what they report on…..? Right?

 

I think you are spending too much time with the OFAH bringing up the “Anti’s” debate (an angle the OFAH use to generate donations) or relating me as part of their group – you have no idea who I am. I enjoy fishing, and consuming fish like anyone else on this great board, and cut my teeth on fishing Lake Ontario and it’s tributaries. People have the freedom to catch and eat whatever they want under the regulations, and I really don’t care where they catch and eat their fish from. However if you are going to ask me or cite an article on a message form about a topic with some controversy attached, I’m going to chime in.

[farsider]

To selectively quote from "Credit River" guidelines when speaking about Charter boats is a bad faith argument. But even there the general pop. recommendation is 2 meals per monthfor Chinook and 4 for Rainbow. If you are eating Chinooks from the river, you get what you deserve.

Here is the guidelines for Lake O west of Clarkson

http://www.downloads.ene.gov.on.ca/files/fishguide/en/advisories/LAKE43177906.html

 

Cheers,

Mark

 

A

Do you know exactly how strict the MOE guidelines are? If so please explain, because all the information I know on eating sportfish in Ontario comes from that little book you get at the LCBO, and my own personal knowledge of the history on the body of water I’m fishing.

I wouldn’t call the sportfish in Lake Ontario “safe to eat” just yet, when the consumption advisories are 0 and when you see the toxins tested for in these fish, and the genesis of them, it should make one use their brain and determine if they should really be consuming these fish.

 

Here is the link for Salmonids from Lake Ontario from the MOE Guide - http://www.downloads.ene.gov.on.ca/files/fishguide/en/advisories/LAKE43357943.html

Those little numbers by the fish specie indicate the toxins that the fish was tested for – check them out too.

The consumption guidelines are determined by these tests according to this guide… I mean if the MOE if telling us to watch what we consume from Lake Ontario, and other lake in Ontario shouldn’t we at least look at it in more detail to make an informed decision?

[chris_robinson]

Do you know exactly how strict the MOE guidelines are? If so please explain, because all the information I know on eating sportfish in Ontario comes from that little book you get at the LCBO, and my own personal knowledge of the history on the body of water I’m fishing.

I wouldn’t call the sportfish in Lake Ontario “safe to eat” just yet, when the consumption advisories are 0 and when you see the toxins tested for in these fish, and the genesis of them, it should make one use their brain and determine if they should really be consuming these fish.

 

The MOE advisories aren't 0 for the general public ("G" in the MOE guidelines) until you get to the larger, older, salmon and trout. There are different levels for pregnant women and children. The guidelines for the cool- and warmwater fish, which is what is relevant for Toronto Harbour, are here:

http://www.downloads.ene.gov.on.ca/files/fishguide/en/advisories/LAKE43397919.html - most species are comparable to the advisories for Lake Simcoe.

 

No one is saying not to follow these guidelines, but the idea that all, or even the majority, of the game fish in Lake Ontario are inedible because of contaminant levels is not true.

 

Here's another article on the harbour and its health from today:

http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2013/08/29/tagging_study_reveals_game_fish_coming_back_to_revitalized_toronto_harbour.html

 

The news stories, which aren't in the Travel sections, are based on interviews with staff from the CA and other agencies. If you want technical reports on contaminant levels, they are available by searching for "Toronto Harbour" and "Area of Concern", and more information is here: http://aquatichabitat.ca/wp/recreational-fisheries-plan/ More information will be available at public meetings this fall.

 

Yours in Conservation,

Chris Robinson

OFAH

FMZ 20 Advisory Council Member

[Richie Razor]

To selectively quote from "Credit River" guidelines when speaking about Charter boats is a bad faith argument. But even there the general pop. recommendation is 2 meals per monthfor Chinook and 4 for Rainbow. If you are eating Chinooks from the river, you get what you deserve.

Here is the guidelines for Lake O west of Clarkson

http://www.downloads.ene.gov.on.ca/files/fishguide/en/advisories/LAKE43177906.html

 

Cheers,

Mark

 

A

 

 

You do know that the steelhead/salmon in credit river come from the big lake right? I was making a clear example of the major sportfish from Lake Ontario, the fish species that are targeted the most by charter operators. And for my own and family's safety and peace of mind, I go by the sensitive population's exceptions. If it's not good for my family to eat, then it's not good enough for me. Simple.

[Richie Razor]

The MOE advisories aren't 0 for the general public ("G" in the MOE guidelines) until you get to the larger, older, salmon and trout. There are different levels for pregnant women and children. The guidelines for the cool- and warmwater fish, which is what is relevant for Toronto Harbour, are here:

http://www.downloads.ene.gov.on.ca/files/fishguide/en/advisories/LAKE43397919.html - most species are comparable to the advisories for Lake Simcoe.

 

No one is saying not to follow these guidelines, but the idea that all, or even the majority, of the game fish in Lake Ontario are inedible because of contaminant levels is not true.

 

Here's another article on the harbour and its health from today:

http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2013/08/29/tagging_study_reveals_game_fish_coming_back_to_revitalized_toronto_harbour.html

 

The news stories, which aren't in the Travel sections, are based on interviews with staff from the CA and other agencies. If you want technical reports on contaminant levels, they are available by searching for "Toronto Harbour" and "Area of Concern", and more information is here: http://aquatichabitat.ca/wp/recreational-fisheries-plan/ More information will be available at public meetings this fall.

 

Yours in Conservation,

Chris Robinson

OFAH

FMZ 20 Advisory Council Member

 

The article if about the TRCA, and how the funding they've aquired is benifiting the areas they service. Good for them, I have nothing against them, they do a great job, but at the end of the day this is about pumping their tires with the justification of the work done in the past and present for more dollars in funding, and recognition to their cause.

 

And BTW the Star is the worst newspaper one can buy, it not credible, and there is no sunshine girl