Dirty Willamette fish?

[Irishrover]

I bought into the stigma of the dirty Willy for years until I caught my first springer and it was the tastiest fish that I have ever caught(& that is saying a lot). The Coho & Steelhead I have caught out of much cleaner rivers are tasty, but that Willy springer was a culinary delight:clap:


BTW The Springers are just passing through and not permanent residents so I think they should be O.K.

You are quite right those springers are the best. I would not hesitate to chow down on any salmon or steelhead out of the Willamette. The bottom of the river in the Portland Harbor has some really bad stuff in it so stick with the androminus fish just don't eat any frsh water clams.

 

[beaverfan]

so when they scrape that crap outta the lakes and rivers, what can they do with it? It's not like the lead, PCBs, etc. just disappear after all....

~M~

That is precisely one of the main problems they've run into. Plus a way to effectively dredge it without stirring it up and having a lot of bad stuff floating downstream.

 

[czoom]

Must not be that bad if fish can survive it.

 

[Gar]

I can survive without any legs or arms, but I'd prefer not to. After all, who'd open my beers?

~M~

 

[wormosa]

i would eat the salmon!

 

[c_chickens]

Discharge in to the Willamette is straight raw sewage (albeit heavily watered down by storm runoff.) Waste that goes through the big pipe project goes to the sewage treatment plant and then to the Columbia, at which point it is practically drinkable. So there's a little more to it than just redirecting it to another river.

were does all that water go???? out in the ocean! i agree with the practically drinkable! dont think i'll try any of it! its that paper mill that really makes the water dirty!

 

[strawberry shortcake]

The yearly regs usually have a page or two about what to eat and not eat, or how much. It's the mercury that is the issue and it builds in the fatty part of the fish. I am also going to other than lead sinkers. We have a lot of raptors that eat fish around here and I don't want them getting lead poisoning. One of the Wallowa County eagles caught recently tested positive for lead poisoning.

 

[everett464]

I have read the number of collected eagles that died from lead poisoning is roughly 15%.