Page 20 - May/June 2022 Outdoor Oklahoma

“While much has been done by the
Wildlife Department to promote fish- Food Safety and Oklahoma’s Fish
ing, including bass fishing, in recent Some people are concerned about eating fish caught in Oklahoma
years, the adjustment of management waters. The state Department of Environmental Quality encourages
strategies aimed at influencing quality Oklahomans to go fishing and enjoy eating the fish they catch. However,
bass fisheries has been limited.” some fish pose a risk of mercury contamination. The general popula-
Sager said biologists’ management tion, including men older than 15 and women beyond child-bearing
plans are often dictated by the con- age, faces little risk in consuming Oklahoma fish. These groups may to
cept of carrying capacity. Carrying eat a variety of fish, including predators such as black bass, as part of a
capacity is the number of individuals healthy diet. DEQ offers these general guidelines:
in a population that the resources in • Eat smaller, younger fish.
the habitat can support. While catch- • Eat more varieties of fish.
and-release may have benefits under • Eat fewer meals of predator fish such as bass, flathead catfish, walleye,
a narrow set of conditions, harvest of and saugeye.
smaller, more-abundant bass may be • Women of child-bearing age and children 14 and younger should con-
needed to sustain a healthy habitat, sume no more than one meal per week of predator fish, which includes
thus providing anglers with a quality largemouth, smallmouth, spotted, white, striped or
black bass fishery. hybrid bass, walleye, saugeye, and flathead catfish.
Oklahoma's current general fishing For complete details on fish consumption from DEQ,
regulations allow anglers to possess scan the code.
six smallmouth or largemouth bass

JENA DONNELL/ODWC

The abundance of smaller black bass in Oklahoma’s waters was a factor in liberalizing harvest rules for fish under 14 inches statewide.

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