DNR: Limit how many rainbow smelt you eat out of Lake Huron
Liz Shepard
You may need to limit how many rainbow smelt you're dining on depending on where it was caught.
The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services released new Eat Safe Fish guidelines for rainbow smelt from different lakes across the state.
The updated guidelines recommends limiting the consumption of certain locally caught smelt based on levels of chemicals found in the commonly eaten parts of the fish.
The new rainbow smelt guidelines are based on elevated levels of perfluorooctane sulfonate, PFOS found in the smelt. PFOS is a chemical in the family of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, PFAS, and can build up in fish and in people who eat these fish.
The new Eat Safe Fish consumption guidelines for rainbow smelt are as follows:
- Lake Huron: Six servings per year
- Lake Michigan: One serving per month
- Portage Lake in Houghton County: One serving per month
- Gull Lake in Kalamazoo County: Two servings per month
- Higgins Lake in Roscommon County: Four servings per month
MDHHS currently recommends that no one eat more than one serving per month of rainbow smelt from Lake Superior due to elevated levels of PFOS.
To view the regional 2022 Eat Safe Fish Guides, visit Michigan.gov/EatSafeFish and click on “Find Your Area.”
Contact Liz Shepard at lshepard@gannett.com.