Debate is mounting over a study that will see large predator fish culled in an effort to examine whether fewer large fish will lead to lower overall mercury levels in fish.

The study will take place near Jean Marie River.

SA国际影视传媒淎s the mercury goes up the food chain from bacteria to plankton to small fish to larger fish, those levels are bio-accumulated and you end up with large old fish having quite high levels of mercury,SA国际影视传媒� said George Low, Dehcho co-ordinator for the Aboriginal Aquatic Resources and Oceans Management project.

SA国际影视传媒淪o what weSA国际影视传媒檙e hoping is this will reduce competition after these monsters are fished out of there.SA国际影视传媒�

Since 2012, pike and walleye from Sanguez Lake have been subject to a health advisory SA国际影视传媒� occasional consumption is not a health risk, however two servings per week is considered the maximum.

With Fisheries and Ocean permits to proceed, Jean Marie River chief Stanley Sanguez said reduction in pike and walleye will likely begin next year at Sanguez Lake and the big predator reductions could be expanded to include Kelly Lake, Gargan Lake, McGill Lake and Deep Lake.

SA国际影视传媒淭he community basically did a fish study on the five lakes, that was years and years ago. Anyway our community basically wanted to know how long we were eating fish that had mercury,SA国际影视传媒� Sanguez said. SA国际影视传媒淭hen we found out levels were too high in Sanguez Lake, then George (Low) says SA国际影视传媒榳hat do we do?SA国际影视传媒�; I say SA国际影视传媒榳hy donSA国际影视传媒檛 we do the simple thing, use a net and fish out the big fish.SA国际影视传媒�

However, University of British Columbia professor Marcello Veiga SA国际影视传媒� an expert in mercury pollution on fish SA国际影视传媒� is skeptical of anticipated results from the Sanguez Lake experiment.

SA国际影视传媒淨uite frankly, this is not a solution at all,SA国际影视传媒� Veiga said. SA国际影视传媒淚t will not reduce any mercury contamination, except that contained in the extracted fish SA国际影视传媒� the mercury is coming from the air, from the soil, the plants, itSA国际影视传媒檚 coming from everywhere.SA国际影视传媒�

Veiga did caution that the best way to avoid ingesting unsafe levels of mercury is to follow the Health Canada guidelines or avoid fish prone to mercury contamination, like tuna or in Jean Marie RiverSA国际影视传媒檚 case, pike and walleye.

SA国际影视传媒淔or people who are eating these fish everyday, at 0.5mg/kg or above concentrations, they are going to be contaminated,SA国际影视传媒� he said.

University of Waterloo researcher and project lead Heidi Swanson told News/North that SA国际影视传媒渨e are not clearing the lake of large fish predators; we are reducing the density of large fish predators.SA国际影视传媒�

Swanson said the experiment would remove approximately 150 kilograms of contaminated big predators.

SA国际影视传媒淲e obviously have to be careful not to remove too many fish. Our target for amount of fish removed is based on data from other studies and we monitor carefully to make sure weSA国际影视传媒檙e not removing too many of the non-target fish,SA国际影视传媒� she said. SA国际影视传媒淎lso, the lake does not contain lake trout or Arctic grayling, or other species of conservation concern.SA国际影视传媒�

Mercury contamination emanates from two sources; it is both naturally occurring SA国际影视传媒� released due to permafrost decline and lower water levels in rivers and lakes SA国际影视传媒� as well as the product of airborne industrial pollution, which can travel thousands of miles from the source.

Health Canada guidelines prohibit the sale of fish containing more than 0.5 milligrams/kilo of mercury, except tuna.

Low told News/North that the big pike and walleye fished from Sanguez Lake often contain levels of mercury far higher than the Health Canada standard.