Reader wonders about eating Falls, Jordan fish

Got an outdoors-related question? Send an e-mail to staff writer Javier Serna at outdoors@newsobserver.com and include your name, town of residence and your phone number. We'll publish the answers periodically.

Are the fish in Jordan and Falls lake safe for eating? I noticed that they have had multiple closures this summer where people were told it isn't safe to swim due to bacteria levels. Does that impact the safety of eating the fish that are caught there?

Jim Flynn, Wake Forest

As a general rule, the fish are safe to eat, even if caught in one of those areas, which are often designated by county health departments during warm weather. That comes with the caveat that the fish need to be properly cooked, which should kill off any bacteria. Water-borne illness is ussually spread by coming into contact with water with a certain level of certain types of bacteria. Ingesting the water is usually what gets people sick, which is why swimming is targeted, as kids have a tendency to swallow water. You can also get sick by having an open cut coming into contact with the water. For more information, go to www.cdc.gov/healthyswimming/what.htm.

These high-bacteria situations are independent of any fish consumption advisories that may exist on a given body of water. There are no advisories for specific area lakes, but sections of the Neuse River, Crabtree Creek and Brier Creek and tributaries of these streams have various advisories limiting the amount of fish certain people should eat in given amounts of time.

There are general advisories that govern all state waters, mainly targeting women of childbearing age, nursing women, pregnant women and children under 15. For more information on state fish advisories, go to www.epi. state.nc.us/epi/ fish/ .