Curious - Does Your State Have a Health Advisory About Eating Waterfowl?

Nick Wansha

Nick Wansha

Active member
Here in NY, the Dept. of Health recommends the following and the NYSDEC have a inserted a slide about it in the course material when I teach the NY State Waterfowl Education (ID and Ethics) Course:

"Wild Waterfowl - Mergansers are the most heavily contaminated waterfowl species and should NOT BE EATEN. EAT NO MORE THAN TWO MEALS PER MONTH of other wild waterfowl; you should skin them and remove all fat before cooking, and discard stuffing after cooking. Wood ducks and Canada geese are less contaminated than other wild waterfowl species and diving ducks are more contaminated than dabbler ducks. (Contaminants - PCBs, mirex, chlordane, DDT)"
http://www.health.state.ny.us/enviro.../fish/fish.htm


Cap letters in the statement above are done so by the DOH, not me. This tends to suggest that the mergansers are "off the charts" for dangerous contaminants. Does your state have any thing like this? I think that I remember reading something about Great Salt Lake in Utah a while back that had an advisory.
 
Nick,

I did a quick search on google and didn't find any such advisory in Virginia. Of course the mergansers and other fish eaters would bio-accumulate toxins more readily than would plant eaters and the toxins would be found in the fat more than in muscle. Does anyone eat merganser fat?
 
Larry,

Funny you should mention that. When I spoke with the head duck biologist for the state about this, he told me just that - the toxins accumulate in the fat and that if you breast them out "you should be fine".

Charlie
 
I love to split a mallard in half, marinate in a natural orange concoction and barbecue on a mesquite grill. Cook medium rare and enjoy. If I have to worry about the health warnings I think I can find bigger health issues like global warming to worry about.
 
What about Canada Geese hanging out in a sewer pond? There are tons of them around town. It would save a lot of time and gas compared to driving to the lake, but I have yet to pull the trigger on them. Poop and food don't seem like a good mix.
 
I'm probably too old to worry about it! I don't shoot or eat mergansers, but have totally enjoyed the rest of the duck population. (exception: on occasion a merganzer will rocket into the deeks at dawn or dusk and accidentally end up breasted, sliced, pounded, fried and put in a sandwich with good bread and lots of mayonaise, salt and pepper... my Dad always taught me that I must eat what I kill) I never breast good ducks! That would have been a sacrilege in my family. I pick them clean and roast or barbecue them to crispy delights! Dark on the outside and juicy in the middle. I mostly eat puddle ducks, but totally enjoy to occasional bluebill that happens into my hunting zone here in Alaska. At my age if it was going to kill me, it would have by now. Good luck to the rest of you!
I do happen to remember a similar warning about eating striped bass back in the middle 70's. Same thing about pesticides and other contaminants being stored in the fat..... May be something to this...Too late for me though...Good thing to warn your kids about!
 
Total BS.
I will take wild puddle ducks and some divers over any Perdue or farm raised chicken dinner anytime. The states and feds are keeping prety quiet on the growth hormones and antibiotics in the production food due to heavy lobbying activity.
Click to expand...


Yes! All natural, and waterfowl are probably the most disease resistant type of bird (I've heard from some biologists and such).
 
Nick,
I am pretty sure that CT has the warning on at least the Divers posted in the Waterfowl Regs book.
 
Thanks Bob, I found it on your regs:

Contaminants in Waterfowl[/url]
Studies conducted in Pennsylvania and New York have shown that some samples from mergansers, especially common and red-breasted, had high levels of contaminants, including PCBs. Mergansers feed primarily on fish that may concentrate contaminants.
Other studies have shown that diving ducks (e.g., scaup, bufflehead, goldeneye) also may have high levels of contaminants; dabbling ducks (e.g., mallards, black ducks, teal, wigeon, gadwall) generally have lower levels; and wood ducks and Canada geese are the least contaminated.
Many sportsmen are aware of health advisories regarding high PCB concentrations in ducks from Massachusetts (Canada geese were not included in those advisories). Sportsmen and their families that want to minimize any potential exposure to contaminants should limit their consumption of mergansers and other waterfowl and remove the skin and fat before cooking. This consideration is especially important for pregnant women due to the effects of PCBs on reproduction.
Removing the skin from the breasts of waterfowl substantially reduces the amount of contaminants. If birds are stuffed, the stuffing should not be consumed. Drippings should not be used for gravy. If you would like more information regarding the health effects of PCBs, call the Connecticut Department of Public Health at 860-509-7742.
 
Wisconsin has health advisory in certain waters. Lower Fox river, Sheboygan river, Sheboygan harbor, Milwaukee river, Waters in Cedarburg

They test for contaminants that include pesticides such as DDT, DDE, dieldrin. industial chemicals such as PCBs dioxins and heavy metals such as Mercury, lead, and cadmium.

They put the health advisory in our regulation book and on the sites mentioned.
 
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