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7\s* New threat to Lake Michigan fish BY DAVB> VEITZ beat exchange fluids in the electric in present in the fish and with the possible An industrial pollutant. mrfvchPri nted biphenyls, has oMamtaatet wisf idtsh m L2R* Michigan at levels ex ceeding the same standards as carp in Lake Pepin in western Wisconsin, where United States Food and Drug Adminis tration officials ruled recently that no carp can be sold any longer in Interstate commerce for human consumption. Lake trout and large salmon in Lake Michigan also are expected to be con taminated beyond federal limits for safe consumption, according to state Depart ment of Natural Resources officials. The polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are now used in transformers and capacitors. Only one American firm, Monsanto, makes the fluids al though some foreign product is sold, said Stanley IGeinert, Madison, chief of surveillance for the MIR. Past industrial uses of PCBs have been in making carbonless copy paper, dustry mid to the plastics industry. muces of the PCBs. Kleioert said teats of 20/ whitefish In a letter to R.E. Hogue, a Pepin fish sampled in April showed that aome ex broker, Henry P. Roberts, Minneapolis, ceed 5 parts per million PCBs. deputy regional Food and Drug direc Carp, commercially fished in Green tor, said carp taken from the lake con Bay, are now being tested. * tained mqre than 5 parts per million Kleinert said results are not complete' PCBs. He warned Hogue, who skips fish but that salmon and lake trout are ex to New York markets, against interstate pected to be affected. "From the work sale of the fish. that's been done by the Fish and Wild "Any fish shipped in interstate com life Service of the State of Michigan it's merce containing over the 5 parts per just expected that the larger trout and million tolerance are considered to be in salmon will exceed the 5 parts per mil violation of the Food, Drug and Cosme lion level." tic Act and can be seized trader the law. The larger, fatter fish are more likely Also, the shipper of such fish could be to be affected, he said. The PCBs are a liable to injunction or prosecution as chlorinated hydrocarbon and, like DDT, prescribed by law." build up in the fatty tissue of fish and Hogue returned one shipment of carp animals. . from the laie that already had reached "Your big. old fish that have lota of fat New York after being told that the fish are going to have PCBs," Kleinert said. could not be legally sold because of con Kleinert is preparing a special report tamination. to be presented May 21 and 22 to the A similar carp fishery exists in Green sate Board of Natural Resources. U will Bay. paints, hydraulic fluids, insulation and deal with the extent of contamination --n ,W- fn I-' Ron Poff, Madison^DNRs^pervisor of commercial fishing, mid 3 mUMn pounds of carp were taken last War from Green Bay. The fish sold for aoQBt 4 cents per pound. Some 37 million pounds of alewife, selling at less tban'2 cents per pound, were taken from Michigan. - But the most commercially valuable fish in the lake. In 1974, were the white- fish and chub. Fishermen netted one million pounds of whitefish with a value of 3730,000 and about t.l million pounds of chubs with a value of $700,00t. Some 700,000 pounds of yellow perch were taken with a value of $350,000. Poff said that besides PCB contarnish- tian some Lake Michigan fish are being contaminated by residues of Dieldreti, a pesticide. - The PCB contamination, if at suf ficient levels, could seriously affect the commercial fishing in Lake Michigan and might have an impact on sport fis& mg, according to Poff. . "There are overtones, here, them Continued on Page 3 '; :ax o tp i till lilts 3= P35 Ej;s CO Sgf to ss CJt f'