I have noticed some of our Florida members eat some of the fish they catch......so you better have a look at this.

http://www.doh.state.fl.us/floridafishadvice/Final%202009%20Fish%20Brochure.pdf

Remember these are "government guidelines"  thus it is beyond me why they say its not safe to eat a bass over 14" from Everglades National Park, but say its alright to eat a Snook once a month.....that lives in the same body of water and possibly for longer periods than a 14" bass.

Also may want to look at this explaining bioaccumalation of mercury studies.

http://www.evergladesplan.org/pm/recover/recover_docs/map/MAP_3.6_Hg.pdf

and to really open your eyes up you may want to consider what Mercury does to....drum roll please...HUMANS

http://www.epa.gov/mercury/effects.htm#meth

Most likely an occasional fish or two won't affect your health, but why risk it..??

Tight lines...now let me go out and catch some Pompano for dinner tonight 

I know some folks that eat the bass and speck's all the time from Lake O and other spots. They seem to be in good health. Some of the data does not make sense to me. Lake Ida and Osbourne in Boca Raton must be loaded with fertilizers and yard pesticides, yet the fish there are less harmful than the fish caught at Loxahatchee or in some areas of the Everglades national park? I guess common sense applies and don't take chances, especially with your children.

my guess is that the water in lox and everglades gets more run off from farmland than the waters like osborne and ida.  the farmland pesticides and fertilizer could be stronger than the household stuff.  i haven't eaten any bass i've caught down here in south florida yet.  the water aren't that clean, there's too much trash everywhere.  for me, dirty water equals dirty fish.

I would not any fish caught in the rim canals in broward and dade county. I have never tested the bass for mercury and other pesticides but I eat allot of bass from the central south glades. They probably aren't any good for me but they taste so good ;D

They probably aren't any good for me but they taste so good ;D

The lakes in central Florida are plastered with fleets of crappie fishermen.

Let's never tell them that bass are more delicious than crappie

Roger

I hate to see fish caught and not released but it bugs the heck out me to no end when they are plucking fish off there beds and not putting them back. I swear I've been tempted to run over and grab there buckets and dump everything back but then I know that's asking for trouble.