Eating Nelson Lake Fish

[Tymurrey]

Was going to take kids to Nelson, what are the thoughts of eating the bluegills or crappies from there. I always catch and release but the kids like to keep some for a meal when we go fishing.

 

[KDM]

I don't really have anything but general rules of thumb. One, oftentimes the fish that spend more time in artificially warm water contain more parasites. Two, fish diseases and maladies tend to be elevated in extended warm water conditions, and three, meat from fish from warmer waters tend to be "mushy" compared to cooler water. I will restate, that I don't have ANY concrete evidence that nelson lake fish are any different than any other fish in ND. Good Luck!!

 

[wales]

Was going to take kids to Nelson, what are the thoughts of eating the bluegills or crappies from there. I always catch and release but the kids like to keep some for a meal when we go fishing.

I would have no problem eating them now.

 

[Eatsleeptrap]

What KDM said. We fished Nelson a lot, but that was 38 years ago. No problems with taste or parasites, but a definite texture issue.

 

[Rut2much]

I like to use a thermometer whilst cooking but also demand my sushi raw. I'd say eat away!

 

[walleyewanker]

It would be the last place in the state that I'd keep fish from.

 

[JUSTWINGNIT]

It would be the last place in the state that I'd keep fish from.

why is that? that discharge water is cleaner than what is brought in. Granted it is warmer but... I do agree though that the meat is more "mushy" in texture.

 

[svnmag]

AI Overview

Fish from Nelson Lake, North Dakota are generally safe to eat in moderation, though they do contain low levels of naturally occurring mercury. Because mercury bioaccumulates in the food chain, larger predatory fish carry higher risks than smaller panfish.

North Dakota Department of Environmental Quality (.gov) +3
State health guidelines help you make safe consumption choices:

• For the general public: You can safely eat smaller fish, but larger species should be consumed less frequently.
• For children (15 and younger) and pregnant or nursing women: These groups are more sensitive to mercury. It is recommended to occasionally eat only smaller fish and avoid larger species entirely.
• General Rule: No specific, restrictive "do not eat" advisory is in place for Nelson Lake. However, the EPA recommends limiting meals of larger, predatory fish (like large bass) to be on the safe side.
  
  
  North Dakota Department of Environmental Quality (.gov) +2

Always review the complete North Dakota Fish Consumption Advisory from the North Dakota Department of Environmental Quality for exact portion and frequency guidelines.

 

[Sum1]

AI Overview

Fish from Nelson Lake, North Dakota are generally safe to eat in moderation, though they do contain low levels of naturally occurring mercury. Because mercury bioaccumulates in the food chain, larger predatory fish carry higher risks than smaller panfish.

North Dakota Department of Environmental Quality (.gov) +3
State health guidelines help you make safe consumption choices:

• For the general public: You can safely eat smaller fish, but larger species should be consumed less frequently.
• For children (15 and younger) and pregnant or nursing women: These groups are more sensitive to mercury. It is recommended to occasionally eat only smaller fish and avoid larger species entirely.
• General Rule: No specific, restrictive "do not eat" advisory is in place for Nelson Lake. However, the EPA recommends limiting meals of larger, predatory fish (like large bass) to be on the safe side.
  
  
  North Dakota Department of Environmental Quality (.gov) +2

Always review the complete North Dakota Fish Consumption Advisory from the North Dakota Department of Environmental Quality for exact portion and frequency guidelines.

I think this can be said about every lake in ND

 

[snow2]

GFP should have consumption advisory on all lakes in north dakota, lakes we fish in northeast south dakota have strong advisory 's,2 to 4oz's weekly on certain lakes,zero consumption for pregnant women, farmland run off,as far as parasites go,internal temp of 165 degrees minimum kills off parasites as freezing fillets as well. Fyi.

 

[ORCUS DEMENS]

I agree with snow, mercury bio accumulates in larger fish and being closer to the source, the levels in the lake would be higher than other lakes in the state. Other states east of the Mississippi have been dealing with this issue for decades and have advisories/restrictions on consumption frequency and amounts.

 

[Allen]

Maybe 15 years ago I took the ex and kids to Nelson. A nice gent pointed me in the direction of a very good crappie and bluegill bite. Since bluegill are probably my favorite tasting fish, I decided to keep a few 10+ inch gills and crappie. Every single fish I put the knife to were just filled with worms in their abdomen.

I noped right the heck out of eating them.

FWIW, I would be no more worried about the chemical quality of the water in Nelson than I would be in eating fish from just about any random Prairie Pothole lake. There was a theory at one time that surmised the lakes downwind of the coal plants were higher in mercury and other heavy metals, but the reality is that our surface geology is nearly 100% made up of sedimentary rocks that contain high amounts of organic carbon. This organic carbon is the remains of plants and animals from thousands to hundreds of millions of years old. Biology teaches us that living creatures, especially the ones higher up on the food chains tend to bioaccumulate heavy metals (mercury in particular), so the vast majority of the mercury in those waters is naturally occurring. It simply leaches out of the sediments as ground water percolates through the soil on its way to the nearest surface expression of water.

 

[snow2]

Don't fish in mn as much as I used to mostly my goto walleye lake all but shut down due non native regulations but mid summer walleye harvesting my live well would have what appeared to be tape worms floating around,one loses his appetite for a fish fry.

In Northern MN near Duluth, century old paper mill polluted the St Louis river still today last I checked,great walleye fishery with strick consumption advisory, locals told us walleyes kept are dark in color due to dark stained river water however about 50% of eyes caught very light in color these are mercury eyes... we fish the muskies in that river no eyes for us. Same with lakes in the northeast mn BWCA many dead lakes,no fish no lake plant life always suspected chemical fall out from the taconite ore plant on lake superior and iron range, hard to believe this prestine 1 million acres is polluted where motorized travel is not permitted.

 

[NDbowman]

Its been 25 years since I've fished Nelson Lake. A group of us were down pheasant hunting in Oct by Beulah/Hazen for a weekend and on our way home stopped and shore fished it for a bit. We kept some bluegill and crappie. Never noticed worms, or mushy flesh, tasted fine to me. We did make jokes about the water coming from the power plant and what it did to the fish but I;d eat fish from there again.

 

[1lessdog]

It was 20 yrs ago or more when they said the Mercury level in fish at Devils Lake was so high. They recommended only eating fish once a week or every other week. A few years later they came out and said. Eat all you want. It's not that bad after all.

 

[Davy Crockett]

It was 20 yrs ago or more when they said the Mercury level in fish at Devils Lake was so high. They recommended only eating fish once a week or every other week. A few years later they came out and said. Eat all you want. It's not that bad after all.

Early 80s when we were making babies it was advised that pregnant women not eat any.

 

[walleyewanker]

Im not concerned about the possibility of chemicals in nelson, its all about the warm water for me. In fact, i dont even keep prairie lake fish anymore come mid July. My freezer consists of river, and sakakawea fish basically. Nothing worse than mushy meat and or the taste of fishy slough when you take a bite.

 

[snow2]

Mid summer fishwe catch gills,crappie, perch and walleye for table fare,water temps 70+ degrees the flesh on occasion have white round worms that look like a pimple until you cut them out and they open up,tiny round worm looks like a fluke worm dnr claim no problem once fried they die,probably true but pass,also black specs in the flesh,another parasite, both un appetizing.ate plenty of the fish with these black specs (looks like black pepper) but not the white worms.

 

[tikkalover]

They say you can eat ducks and geese with rice breast but they were a big pass when I did waterfowl hunt.

 

[zoops]

Im not concerned about the possibility of chemicals in nelson, its all about the warm water for me. In fact, i dont even keep prairie lake fish anymore come mid July. My freezer consists of river, and sakakawea fish basically. Nothing worse than mushy meat and or the taste of fishy slough when you take a bite.

Never have noticed a problem, but I bleed immediately and throw on ice once it gets warm.