Home   >   Breaking News   >   Mercury found in fish species in the Macal River

Mercury found in fish species in the Macal River

By on September 29, 2015
Macal River, San Ignacio

Macal River, San Ignacio

Belmopan, CAYO. Tuesday, September 29, 2015. The Ministry of Health has issued an advisory calling on the public not to consume Bay Snook fish from the Macal River in Cayo, effective immediately and continuing until further notice.

The decision to ban the consumption of Bay Snook is because of the high levels of Mercury that has been detected in this and two other fish species.

According to the official advisory, at the conclusion of the recent fish mercury test of fish taken from the Macal River,  it was determined that Bay Snook, Baca and Botasi which are normally consumed by people in communities around the Macal River were found to contain high levels of mercury.

The official release says that mercury levels were found to be the highest in the Botasi with 1.55 mg/kg and the second highest in the Bay Snook with 1.44 mg/kg or both approximately three times the recommended levels.

Macal River, San Ignacio

Macal River, San Ignacio

Baca was also found with elevated level of mercury 0.68 mg/kg or a little over the recommended level of 0.5 mg/kg.

In the case of Bay Snook, the new results indicate that there has been a significant increase in mercury levels to almost three times its previous reading of 0.61mg/kg to 1.44 mg/kg.

With excess mercury concentration in the three fishes, the Ministry warns the public to obey the recommendations on eating fish from the Macal River to prevent negative health impacts such as: mental retardation in children, poor development of infants, vision impairment, nervousness, weakening of muscles in the hand and feet.

The recommendation from the Ministry of Health is for fish lovers to consume fish from other locations in the country, consider switching to chicken or taking Omega Acid Supplements to make up for the dietary shortfall in essential fat which comes from eating fish.

This advisory, we repeat is only for Bay Snook, Baca and Botasi from the Macal River in Cayo and does not apply to these fish species found in other rivers across Belize.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

CAPTCHA Image

*