BANGOR DAILY NEWS • February 5, 2022
Anglers at the Pushaw Lake Ice Fishing Derby this weekend have a special opportunity to provide some important scientific data. Fish caught in the Pushaw waters have not been tested for mercury since 2011, when the Maine Department of Environmental Protection sampled white perch only. The study found that 90 percent of the fish contained a level of total mercury in muscle tissue that exceeded the state’s action level, 200 parts per billion. This year’s derby will provide new data on the fish in Pushaw Lake.