On Saturday, July 7, the MEJO Starkweather project team, kids in the East Madison Community Center summer programs, and Gambian Youths of Wisconsin went to the mouth of Starkweather Creek to fish.
It was a beautiful day and the fishing was great. Most kids and adults caught a fish or two (mostly panfish, but also a bass and pike!). Many of the kids had never fished before. They had a wonderful time and would love to go fishing again.
Though some fish were thrown back, 18 panfish were kept. Are these fish safe to eat?
Fish from Starkweather/Lake Monona are on advisory for mercury and/or PCBs, but generally speaking, the small panfish are lower in these contaminants compared to larger fish. General Wisconsin statewide fish consumption advisories recommend one panfish meal a week for women of childbearing age, nursing mothers, and all children under 15, and there are no consumption restrictions for “older women” and all adult men.
It is good that the state issues advisories for safe fish consumption. But we believe nobody should have to worry about fish contaminants at all; fish is local, fresh (and free!) food, and fishing is a healthy outdoor activity that connects people with lakes, rivers, and streams.
Our Starkweather EJ team is engaging the community in discussions about stormwater and other types of pollution that affect the creek—as the largest tributary to Lake Monona, it is one of the main sources of pollution to the lake and its fish. We’re talking with people in the community about their knowledge and concerns about the creek, and their recommendations about how to clean it up so that hopefully some day in the future we can go down to the creek and lakes, catch fish, and eat them without any concerns about toxic contaminants.
See more photos of our fishing trip below:
Oh, the waiting can be so hard…
Mack catches the first fish!!
Learning to cast…
Caught a fish!
Touyeng was the “go to” bait man!
Counting the catch…
Eating pizza after counting the catch (fishing makes you hungry!)
