Catching own fish vs. Toxins....

**Valerie in WA** · 12-03-2005, 02:01 PM

I'd like to obtain my own 'free' (after licensing & equipment expenses) meats, but I'm not - in ANY way, shape, or form - a hunter. Nor is dh ready to allow me to keep & butcher chickens (not sure if I could butcher them myself, either).

But I do know the basics of fishing. In fact, we already have a couple of rod & reel sets. We may even have a fly-fishing pole, but I don't know how to use it. We live in a metropolitan area with both fresh water & salt water.

My concern is that if I catch fish, how do I know they're not filled with toxins? OTOH, if I buy fish there's no way to know either. What would you do?

**QuilterMom** · 12-03-2005, 06:11 PM

Where you would fish, is there a road right by the water or anything like that? That would concern me as far as pollutants from cars, run-off and such. Also, is there any way to find out if anything is sprayed right by the water or near the water (or in the water to control algae and such)?

We have the river here plus the ocean. We would never fish in the river. A main roadway goes right alongside it and we know that it is polluted from that (lots of mutated/malformed/sick shrimp in the river). Also, houses are built right on the river and the sprays and such that the homeowners use in keeping up their lawns and plants definitely drain into the river (lots of studies have been done on this). People here continue to fish in the river, but we won't. I don't necessarily feel great about fishing in the ocean either, but here it's definitely a much better option than the river.

**Valerie in WA** · 12-07-2005, 05:54 PM

Thanks for your input, Kim, that's what I was thinking - all the places I know to fish are by roads or have public parks and/or homes. Even if I headed up into the mountains, the most convenient rivers are - you guessed it - next to the road. Although that's probably better than suburban roads & fancy lake-side homes with their well-manicured (heavily-treated) lawns.

We're not on the ocean, but a sound - it's pretty heavily trafficked by large vessels heading to the port in Seattle, not to mention ferries criss-crossing all day. I think it's dirty. I wouldn't really want to swim in it. So I guess I shouldn't eat out of it, either, huh?

Well, thanks for thinking it through with me.