Fish Smart: Eat Smart Day In the Park Draws Thousands to Saginaw
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Paul Beachy, Bay City State Recreation Area trail guide, explains fish types to Fish Smart attendees at Morley Plaza in Saginaw.
Professional fisher Sean Galloway of Team Diawa teaches casting to an interested attendee at the fishing event in Saginaw.
The plain fact is people aren't paying much attention to the fish advisories posted by the Michigan Department of Community Health (MDCH).
A survey of 1,088 people last month showed that although they are aware of the dangers of eating fish caught in the river and bay, many are not heeding the warnings.
"Many people reported eating catfish from the Tittabawassee and Saginaw rivers, which flow into Saginaw Bay," MDCH reported in a news release that added: "These fish contain dioxins, furans, and PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls) at levels that could cause harmful health effects if eaten too often."
So the MDCH and local agencies are going on the offensive to help protect people against themselves.
Recently signs went up along the Saginaw River spelling out the dangers of eating too many fish that may be contaminated with dioxins and PCBs.
Last Thursday in Morley Plaza in downtown Saginaw a "Fish Smart: Eat Smart Day in the Park" attracted hundreds of visitors.
Saginaw's First Ward Community Center obtained a $14,000 grant from MDCH and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan to stage the event.
Kory Groetsch of MDCH and Sheila Braddock of the First Ward Community Center were in charge of the well-attended event.
For attendees who submitted forms signed at each station, prizes were awarded including fish cleaning kits and gift cards to retailers like Gander Mountain.
MDCH, Department of Environmental Quality, Bay City State Recreation Area, Saginaw County Health Department and other agencies had display tables with information designed to educate the public about the dangers of eating contaminated fish as well as the joys of fishing and "eating smart."
Classes in lure-tying were offered and, over on the nearby river, professional fisherman Sean Galloway, of Team Diawa, was instructing folks in the art of casting and giving tips for more successful fishing.
Galloway advises fishers not to eat fish from the Saginaw River and health officials warn against e-coli contamination from river water.
Also on hand was Mark Wilson, operations foreman of the Saginaw Wastewater Treatment Facility, who explained why e-coli is present in the river. Despite the construction of seven retention basins in the 1990s, rains over one inch often cause discharge of "partially treated" sewage into the river.
"We continue treatment the best we can," said Wilson, who described the discharges as "mostly rainwater." Solid waste is "mostly removed," and disinfected, but discharges are inevitable during heavy rainfall, he said.###
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