Sport fishing is managed by each province and territory separately. Before you go fishing, find out about the regulations and restrictions that apply where you'll be. This web site has links to information on the relevant web site of each provincial and territorial government:
http://www.sportfishing
canada.ca.
Fishes from many rivers and lakes contain toxic pollutants that may harm your health if you eat them. Because of this risk, for certain kinds of fish, it is recommended that people limit the amount that they eat, or avoid eating those fish altogether.
Many kinds of pollutants enter aquatic ecosystems. Some occur naturally. Many other contaminants come from human activities.
Human-made pollutants include substances from farming, industry, waste treatment and household waste. Laws and regulations are supposed to limit these substances. But pollutants enter waterways despite the laws, and they can harm the environment and ourselves.
A Threat to Health
Certain toxic pollutants are especially harmful. Such toxics include mercury and other heavy metals, as well as organic chemicals.
They are absorbed by bacteria and are stored in body tissues. They get carried along the food chain as one creature eats another. The amount that builds up in body tissues increases with every step along the chain.
The pollutants can become a health hazard. They can cause physical and behavioural problems in fish, animals and birds, and they can even cause death.
By the time that you catch that fish in a lake or river, the fish may have too much in its body to be safe to eat. Regulations tell you whether it's unsafe to eat certain fish or shellfish.
Learn how pollutants accumulate in the food web, on page 2
Where Do Pollutants Come From?
Many toxic pollutants come from farming and industry. Some come from people dumping household chemicals. The pollutants enter lakes and rivers—and eventually oceans—when rainwater washes over the land and into nearby water bodies.
Such substances include:
- heavy metals—such as mercury, lead and cadmium
- POPs (persistent organic pollutants)—these chemicals are used on farms, in gardens and in forestry; they are found in pesticides that are used to kill insects and in herbicides that kill weeds
- toxic chemicals—such as those used in mining, pulp and paper mills, and petrochemical factories.
