Consumption advisories on stripers likely

Fishing in the Savannah River has changed a lot since striped bass were placed off limits in 1988, when they had nearly vanished.

This fall, when the river is re-opened to a limited harvest, anglers are likely to face more than the planned two-fish daily limit and 27-inch minimum length.

"There are concerns about mercury, and we expect there will be recommendations coming out soon," said Regional Fisheries Supervisor Matt Thomas of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources.

The Savannah River already has consumption advisories for largemouth bass, catfish and other species, but striped bass were never tested because they were not legal to catch and eat.

"Since the fishery was closed for so long, I don't think they were ever tested," Thomas said. "That testing is being done now, though."

Wildlife authorities have captured and processed dozens of stripers to be tested for mercury - a job left up to scientists with the Georgia Environmental Protection Division.

"In fish that size, and at their place at the top of the food chain, we know there is mercury present," said Dr. Randy Manning, EPD's environmental toxicology coordinator. "At this point, we are fairly certain there will be restrictions on eating them."

Mercury occurs naturally in the environment, but heavier loads can be transferred through air pollution emitted by electric generating plants - which are common across the Southeast.

"The most significant source is atmospheric deposition," Manning said. "But the EPA has suggested coal-burning power plants contribute 30 percent or more. Of course, the power plants disagree with that."

Regardless of the source, mercury levels in stripers tested so far are yielding fairly definable doses, he said.

"We take tissue from fish, and what we look at is the edible muscle tissue," he said. "We're not testing the guts or the heads or anything else."

Mercury levels in fish are measured in parts per million and levels of less than .23 parts per million yield no consumption advisory, Manning said.

Levels above .23 have suggested consumption limits of one meal per week.

Levels of .7 parts per million and above yield suggestions of one meal per month. Any levels above 2 parts per million yield a "do not eat" advisory.

"Stripers in the Savannah River are probably coming out somewhere between one meal per week and one meal per month," Manning said.

Final recommendations, he added, will be out in about a month. The lifting of the ban on keeping striped bass is expected to occur Oct. 1.

BEAR NECESSITIES: Each summer, black bears across Georgia tend to wander into new areas in search of new bears and new habitat. Sometimes they even end up in Augusta.

This summer, more sightings than usual were reported in east Georgia, including a confirmed visit in July from a bear seen off Interstate 20 in Martinez near the Cracker Barrel restaurant.

Although that bear could not be captured, reports continue to trickle in - including one sighting last week - that the shy bruin was still in the area, said regional wildlife supervisor Vic VanSant.

Elsewhere, sightings were plentiful this year.

A landowner in Wilkes County who set a trap for feral hogs even found a large bear in his trap one morning.

VanSant said the bear was simply released to continue on his way.

"We presume it kept on going end ended up back in north Georgia," he said.

Statewide, the Wildlife Resources Department responds to hundreds of bear calls each year, with north Georgia accounting for 92 percent of those calls, said agency spokeswoman Melissa Cummings.

The annual number of bear calls in the past five years has ranged from a low of 567 in 2000-01 to a high of 1,107 in 2001-02.

RECORD TURKEY HARVEST: South Carolina's 50,000 turkey hunters brought home 14,353 birds during the 2005 spring gobbler season, making it the second-largest harvest recorded in the Palmetto State.

The highest harvest occurred in 2002, when 16,358 birds were taken, according to the S.C. Department of Natural Resources.

Georgia's figures remain under preparation, but last year, 36,806 hunters harvested 23,924 turkeys, according to the Wildlife Resources Division.

Reach Rob Pavey at 868-1222, ext. 119 or rob.pavey@augustachronicle.com.