Safe to Eat?????????????

[ROBENDOG]

Will/would you eat fish caught off Moreton Island in the wake of the recent disaster???

Just wondering how people feel, and is there an expert opinion?

After the recent incident, oil spill and containers full of fertilizer, are the fish caught in this area safe to eat; both on the short term and also long term?

I am considering heading out of Mooloolaba on Tuesday..........

Will the fish I catch be safe to eat????

A bit of a side issue.......

How will my outboard engine fair??? Is the amount of oil floating on the surface an issue?? or will she be fine???

[FNQCairns]

Mate honest and fair dinkum forget about it and enjoy your day on the water without a second thought over the drama.

cheers fnq

[disorderly]

Sheesh man...All the preservatives,additives,colourings,oils and fats in your normal diet are much more likely to end up killing you ...not the fish off Moreton bay...

[Cammy]

Guys, he's just asking a question to find some answers. I'd be a bit wary with what i catch from that area if i went out. who knows whats out there really....

Cam

[snagking]

I probably wouldn't in the next 6 months, but in about 2 years I might.

[Dantren]

IMO - catch & release would be wise while there are still visual indications.

[GBC]

I thinkyou've missed the worst part.
Fish good to eat
Motor will run fine
Scum line on the hull will be a b!tch to get off.

[FNQCairns]

The ammonium would rip the gills straight out of a fish if it found it's self in a position to experience high concentrations, before this it will react to the stimulus by just buggering off, the flesh would still be edible.

If i guess one scenario, if the leak is well low enough over time that it could promote a normally predated upon but out competed algae to have the upper hand over a range and colonise better, this algae could produce an endotoxin that because of being eaten and then through bioaccumulation could find it's self in fish big enough to see an esky and then someone's stomach.....it does take some near fanciful flight of imagination within current events.

There is just simply nothing that could conceivably cause a health concern for an offshore trip like the one your question relates to, at least i cannot think of any.

Honest IMO anyway, put the thought out of your mind, also your engine will be fine, there is no longer any real identifiable oil out there anywhere it's already largely been reduced to it's least volatile biodegradable fraction/base.

Anyone see on TV the number of ghost crabs burrowing up through the black residue.....business as usual already under the higher strand lines, hope they don't have a TV down there:)

cheers fnq

[BLOOEY]

Was thinking of heading off mooloolaba in the morning but just had a look on the surf cam at marcoola and i can see what i think? is 2 gutters full of brown gear. Having seccond thoughts now. I dont think i will be eating anything i catch tomorrow if there is anything out there. Ben

[CreelReaper]

I'm with FNQ on this one.....
If you were to drag up all the concentrations of the bad things found in most of our rivers and creeks that has accumulated over the years and dump them in a similar scenario to what has happened at moreton everybody would be screaming blue murder. I would actually think it would be so much worse. The fact is that it is so visual makes it seem a lot worse than it is. Valdez was a disaster but in the balance of things this was an event.

To answer your question though if you have been happy to eat whatever comes out of the Brissie river and many of the local creeks in SEQ and haven't grown two heads or carked it, then this won't be a problem. Go for it, have a ball and enjoy our specially flavoured local seafood.....
How many people eat the imported stuff????

Shane

[Camo]

Ammonium nitrate is really nothing to worry about. When ammonium nitrate is mixed with water, all that happens is that the ammonium nitrate dissolves in the water. No new products are formed. I'd be more worried about the tons and tons of Dioxin that was dumped out there during the 50's and 60's

[Far side]

If you are concerned about NH4N03

here is a link to the MSDS
http://www.duralite.com.au/safety/AMMONIUM%20NITRATE.pdf

[revs57]

G'day Ben,

You'll probably find the stuff you're talking about is coral spore - nuthin to worry about - the others stuff is already "Beached as bro" sadly

Cheers

Rhys

[BLOOEY]

Youre probably right Rhys either that or the coffee rock has broken up a bit as slider in another thread suggested. I went out anyway and got a couple of longtails and both had black crap around the gill area. The epa picked them up yesterday and are testing them and i will be getting the results sooner or later. More than likely later but will inform you of the results. Ben

[SeaHunt]

Some of you guys worry too much.
Even if you caught and ate a fish with a gut full of oil it would be cleaner than most of the farmed imported product that grew up in some Asian sewer.

[finding_time]

Was thinking of heading off mooloolaba in the morning but just had a look on the surf cam at marcoola and i can see what i think? is 2 gutters full of brown gear. Having seccond thoughts now. I dont think i will be eating anything i catch tomorrow if there is anything out there. Ben

ben

it rained very very heavily up there on friday night! The brown stuff in the water is MUD!!!!The river sunday was like a chocolate milkshake .;) Eat away!!:)

Ian

Ps the current is running sth at 3 knots and leakage from the containers will be heading sth!

[therapy]

To the 35% that aren't going to eat there fish, pm me when you get back to the ramp and I'll pick them up and test them for you...in alfoil and lemon/butter/white wine..mmmm...bread crumbs....mmmmm....
Terry............

[Fish_gutz]

still chewin on wahoo from hutchies and it tastes spot on. just didn`t need any cooking oil to cook it with! just jokes, there`s nothing wrong with the fish i was eating. Cheers Andrew

[choppa]

i know fish are supposed to be dumb,, but c'mon really,,,

if you have migratory fish in a spoiled area,,, research shows that they are called migratory for a reason,,

fish that are inhabitants of their own territory may be at risk,,, IF they are subject to toxins over a period of time

example is purely based on ningi creek,,, most if not all locals fish it,,,, but last year it was declared toxic due to sewage leakage,,,

i still hear and talk to ""old"" fisho's who don't even venture there now because of this report,,,,,, makes me laugh because prior to the media release you had to nail yourself to a cross and swear allegiance to them just to get marks on a spot to catch a fish,,

i suppose everyone is different,,,, but it makes me wonder how many people have come across a new patch of ground,,,, that they have never fished before,,, and theres no-one else in earshot to ask the infamous question of ,,,""caught anything"",,,, do you fish it,,,?????????

or say no because you dont know if anything is wrong with the area,,,,

choppa

[Donny Boy]

Quotes:

therapy
To the 35% that aren't going to eat there fish, pm me when you get back to the ramp and I'll pick them up and test them for you...in alfoil and lemon/butter/white wine..mmmm...bread crumbs....mmmmm....
Terry............

SeaHunt
Some of you guys worry too much.
Even if you caught and ate a fish with a gut full of oil it would be cleaner than most of the farmed imported product that grew up in some Asian sewer.

Sort of makes me think of the line about
" I don't drink water, ..............'cause Fish F##^* in water !!!! "

[BLOOEY]

I love eating my fish too guys but if you saw the shit in and around the gills of those 2 fish and still ate it , well, your'e sick puppys. Ben

[therapy]

I love eating my fish too guys but if you saw the shit in and around the gills of those 2 fish and still ate it , well, your'e sick puppys. Ben


Have you heard back about the tests yet Ben? Would be interested to know how they come up. The EPA has cleared trawler catches last week so please let us know the results...
Cheers.....Terry......

[kokomo]

the north south current flow will have any of the toxins heading south at 3+knots... sorry mexico

its a no brainier for me

fish are OK

[BLOOEY]

No not yet terry. Mind you it took 3 attempts for them to organise picking them up so i'm not holding my breath. But will let you know either way. Ben

[wirlybird]

look on the bright side the containers that didn't get found will make awesome artificial reefs

where exactly did these containers fall off??

[Jurkyjj]

Mate, IMO there is nothing to worry about.
If you are really concerned, catch and release.
I will be dumping mine in the esky.

Cheers, Jason.

[Pretzil]

Questions like these are why I hate the media.

I will continue to eat any fish I catch and anybody elses I can get my hands on.