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State advisory now matches Mohawk warning to not eat fish from part of St. Lawrence River

Posted 4/8/19

AKWESASNE -- The Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe’s (SRMT) Environment Division says they welcome an updated advisory from New York state warning not to eat fish caught from certain areas of the St. …

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State advisory now matches Mohawk warning to not eat fish from part of St. Lawrence River

Posted

AKWESASNE -- The Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe’s (SRMT) Environment Division says they welcome an updated advisory from New York state warning not to eat fish caught from certain areas of the St. Lawrence River.

Tribal officials say the state warning reaffirms the tribe’s recommended guidelines from November 2013 which they released due to elevated levels of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and mercury in the St. Lawrence River.

“The latest information issued by the New York State Health Department is recognition of the Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe’s efforts to protect community health,” SRMT Environment Division Director Tony David said in a prepared statement. “Fish are an important food source for Akwesasne residents; however, restrictions on consumption of locally caught fish are still necessary due to the lasting impacts of local pollution. I thank the Department of Health and other state agencies for echoing our recommendations in a spirit of partnership that protects public health, as our waterways recover.”

The state’s old advice covered the lower seven miles of the Grasse River and Turtle Cove, located to the east of the South Channel Bridge at the Franklin and St. Lawrence County line on the St. Lawrence River. The new advisory closes the gap from the mouth of the Grasse River and extends downstream to the north end of Raquette Point (Navigation Light Number 11). The state’s advisory was updated on March 20 and now mirrors tribal consumption guidelines.

Within the above-mentioned area, both fish consumption advisories now restrict the eating of any fish species due to the presence of contaminants. Less restrictive fish consumption advice applies for other areas of the St. Lawrence River located in the Akwesasne Territory, the tribe said.

To download and view the SRMT Environment Division’s Akwesasne Family Guide to Eating Locally-Caught Fish (November 2013), people can go to https://www.srmt-nsn.gov/_uploads/site_files/FishAdvisory_WebFinal.pdf