What looked like a bass fishing tournament this morning at
the Walker Preserve ponds in Santee was actually an effort to gather fish from
the San Diego River for toxicity testing.
About 15 anglers in float tubes volunteered to fish the ponds in the name of science.
Unfortunately, the fishing was slow. Only a few small
largemouth bass and a couple of cookie-sized bluegill were caught after nearly four hours of effort.The fish were sent to a state Department of Fish & Wildlife laboratory in Rancho Cordova to be tested for mercury and other contaminants that concern public health officials.
The findings will allow the California Fish & Game Dept. to advise the public on what species of fish and how many from this section of the San Diego River are safe to consume. It may also provide state water quality officials with evidence of pollutants, such as pesticides and PCBs, that could be impacting the river and wildlife.
