High mercury levels in some Lake Maurepas fish bring meal restrictions, state officials say

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Louisiana residents are being urged to limit their consumption of fish from Lake Maurepas in Livingston and St. John the Baptist parishes where high levels of mercury have been detected.

According to a fish consumption advisory issued by the state departments of Health, Environmental Quality and Wildlife and Fisheries, women of childbearing age and children younger than 7 should not eat more than three meals per month of any of the following fish: bigmouth buffalo, bowfin (choupique, grinnel), flathead catfish and yellow bass.

The same group of consumers should also avoid eating two meals per month of any of these fish: black crappie (sac-a-lait), freshwater drum (gaspergou), largemouth bass and warmouth from Lake Maurepas.

There are no consumption limits of the fish for older adults or children 7 and older, according to the advisory.

Mercury is an element that occurs naturally in the environment, the state agencies said. As a result, there are small amounts of mercury in the sediment of streams, lakes, rivers and oceans so nearly all fish contain trace amounts of mercury.

Health effects from harmful levels of mercury can include nervous system and kidney damage.

Eleven bodies of water, including Lake Maurepas, are now under an advisory for unacceptable levels of mercury in fish or shellfish. They are: Bayou Dorcheat in Webster Parish; Black Bayou Lake, Caddo; Black Lake and Clear Lake, Natchitoches and Red River parishes; Caddo Lake, Caddo; Corney Lake, Claiborne; Grand Bayou Reservoir, Plaquemines; Ivan Lake, Bossier; Kepler Creek Lake Bienville; Toledo Bend Reservoir, Sabine and DeSoto parishes and Vernon Lake, Vernon.