Mercury occurs naturally and in very low levels in rocks and soils. It may also occur in some soils and waterways from historical gold mining activities, where it was used to recover gold from mined, crushed rock.

Mercury in fish species in the Loddon River

Mercury has been found in river bed sediments and some fish species in the Loddon River (downstream of Laanecoorie Reservoir to Bridgewater) as a result of historical gold mining in the area.

Map showing area affected by elevated mercury levels:

Affected species

In freshwater environments containing mercury, some species of fish may also contain high levels of mercury. This is more likely in fish that are predatory (eat other fish) and also live a long time in this environment. 

In the Loddon River, the following fish are likely to contain elevated levels of mercury:

Common name/s: Common carp (European carp)

Common name/s: Redfin (English perch)

Common name: Murray Cod

 

Common name: Golden perch

How much fish you can eat

Food Standards Australia New Zealand provides the following advice for eating fish with elevated mercury levels.

The following fish caught in the Loddon River between the Laanecorrie Reservoir and Bridgewater are expected to have elevated levels of mercury:

Fish	Advice for	Number of serves
Redfin, Murray cod and carp	Pregnant women, women planning pregnancy and children under 6 years.	Limit to one serve per fortnight, and no other fish that fortnight.
	Rest of the population.	Limit to one serve per week and no other fish that week.
Golden perch	Pregnant women, women planning pregnancy and children under 6 years.	Limit to one serve per week, and no other fish that week.
	Rest of the population.	Limit to three serves per week, and no other fish that week.

Note: One serve equals:

• 150g in adults (for example two frozen crumbed fish fillets)
• 75g in children under 6 years (for example 3 fish fingers).

Health information

See your local doctor if you or your family have health concerns.

For information about drinking water quality, refer to the Department of Health and Human Services.

Read next

Mercury in fish

Recreational fishing and your health

 

This page was copied from EPA's old website. It was last updated on 7 December 2017.