Largemouth bass in nine out of 10 Florida rivers that the scientists tested had unusually high mercury levels in their flesh, according to preliminary results from research by the U.S. Geological Survey.
Those rivers included the St. Marys on the Georgia border and the Santa Fe, which runs north of Gainesville. The St. Johns River apparently was not tested.
A summary of that research, which should be published next year, was presented at a science conference in Tampa last week.
The findings suggest that dark waterways fed by wetlands in forest-covered areas have special characteristics that make it easier for mercury to accumulate in fish, said Barbara Scudder, a Geological Survey hydrologist. The research, which began in 1998, measured mercury in 367 stream basins nationally.
Fishermen and state agencies have known for years that mercury accumulates in Florida waters, apparently dropping from the sky as emissions from coal-burning power plants and other sources settle.
A 28-page state booklet lists hundreds of Florida lakes and river sections where people are warned not to eat certain kinds of fish more than once or twice a week, once a month, or ever, depending on the water's condition.
Mercury is one of many contaminants behind those warnings, which say no one should eat more than one meal of bass each week from any river without a notice saying it's all right. Bass are a favorite catch for fishermen, but also build up mercury fast because they eat other mid-size fish that contain mercury.
Too much mercury can cause neurological damage, especially in babies and children.
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