# Proud lake rec fish safety



## Nik (Apr 13, 2017)

So im sure everyone has heard about the do not eat advisory for the Huron River I don't know much about it but they said do not eat fish below Wixom Road they stock the trout at Wixom Road does that mean I can eat the ones above the road or can I eat them cuz they don't live in the river all year I'm kind of confused because I know people even catch trout under Kent Lake that come from Proud Lake if anyone knows an answer to this please sound out below


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## AdamBradley (Mar 13, 2008)

The fact - no one knows yet. Steelhead are to be tested soon, that should be a good indicator since they live in the lake and only come up for a couple weeks to a few months.

As for the stockers.............. take the steelhead data that’ll come, and do as you see fit...

That being said - I know a couple guys eating the steelhead with the mindset of “eh whatever is in em I’ve been eating for years, what damage is another few fish?” As for me, no plans to start eating any Huron fish.


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## michcats (Jun 2, 2017)

Nope this thing could be huge I'm not eating anything from any part of the Huron and I have Been catching and eating fish my whole life from every part of it smh what a shame


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## MickL (Dec 16, 2003)

I wonder if DNR has made a decision yet to stock there this year or not.


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## mfs686 (Mar 15, 2007)

I have been to a couple of the PFAS meetings and the ban was to cover all the bases. They are still testing and it will be sometime before they have concrete data. They did say that the PFAS levels are lower further downstream you go. They did identify the plant that was responsible for the Norton Creek contamination and steps have been taken to stop it. Their main concern is the resident year round fish. For example, the lower Ausable has probably the highest contamination levels in the State. The current advisory states to not eat any resident fish but the migratory fish (steelhead, salmon) are ok. They have increased the advisory to include game animals from the area as well. Personally, I don't plan on keeping fish from either river, migratory or not. 

Unfortunately I think we are only at the tip of the iceberg on this one.


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## MickL (Dec 16, 2003)

mfs686 said:


> ....The current advisory states to not eat any resident fish but the migratory fish (steelhead, salmon) are ok....


The original advisory said "All fish". I'm not aware of a change.


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## Nik (Apr 13, 2017)

One of my other confusions is that they say the advisory starts be low Wixom Road and that is the road that they stock the fish off of so I'm not sure if that means any fish above Wixom is safe or if it doesn't matter?


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## mfs686 (Mar 15, 2007)

MickL said:


> The original advisory said "All fish". I'm not aware of a change.


That is for The AuSable. Advisory is for resident fish. Game animal one just started in the last year. I wonder why they don't include the Atlantics. The signs they have posted along the river show the Atlantics arriving in September and staying until June. That's pretty much year round.


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## Nik (Apr 13, 2017)

Yeah in proud most of the fish migrate down river into the advised waters but in the spring you can get them above it


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## mfs686 (Mar 15, 2007)

The other thing is they don't know how long the fish have to be in an affected area to reach harmful levels. 

Every person already has some level of PFAS in their body. The chemicals that fall under this have been used in everyday products for years. It's not just flame retardant chemicals or plating processes.


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## Nik (Apr 13, 2017)

Ok thx it seems like this PFAS thing could be a sleeping giant


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## MickL (Dec 16, 2003)

mfs686 said:


> That is for The AuSable....


Ok, good. Thanks for clearing that up.


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## mfs686 (Mar 15, 2007)

Nik said:


> Ok thx it seems like this PFAS thing could be a sleeping giant


Unfortunately it is. The reason for all the press here in Michigan is because we are way ahead of the curve compared to the other states. If you want more info go to the Huron River Watershed Council website. They post info and upcoming meeting dates.


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## Nik (Apr 13, 2017)

Ok thx for the clarification i will check there website


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## Zofchak (Jan 10, 2003)

Norton Creek is downstream from the majority of the area where the stocked fish are routinely staged and targeted (At least early on in the season). With that in mind the annual plantings might not be jeopardy. Also, the majority of the fish are harvested within mere days or weeks of the season opening, so their exposure to any of the PFAS contamination should be minimal. My guess is the plant in the Huron may not happen this year, and the fish will be stocked elsewhere (Perhaps more in Spring Mill, or other local lakes), but once they get a handle on what is actually going on it'll be back in some form.


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## Nik (Apr 13, 2017)

Yeah i hope they load the mill pond up im going tomorrow to ice fish it i am mostly going for gills but wouldn't mind a trout alot more survive there some die in August but a good bit live i scuba dove it in mid August and i got to 33ft deep its pretty deep in there and temp on the bottom was 54 degrees in mid August


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