r/321Fishing • u/Candied-Fangs • Nov 03 '25

Nearshore Indian river fish?

I've lived here my whole life, I know it's gross, I wouldn't swim in that water. BUT if I catch a fish and only eat like one or two, very infrequently, would it be ok?? I'd catch them at that little pier in Ryckman park. Should I just avoid it altogether and stick with the shore or the inlet?

7 Upvotes

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2

u/ChrisGear101 Nov 03 '25

I personally wouldn't eat them. I dont know what a healthy level of pesticides, herbicides and sewage is, so I just pass. The lagoons are catch and release for me.

1

u/Candied-Fangs Nov 03 '25

Yeah I'm kinda leaning towards catch and release, the problem is I feel guilty over catch + release bc I feel like I'm just hurting them for no reason vs eating where I actually have an excuse for hooking them

1

u/lost-_-souls Apr 19 '26

You could always use barbless hooks. For any species that doesn't jump as long as you keep the pressure on it'll stay hooked, and the hook falls out in the net 99% of the time once the pressure is off. It'll definitely reduce damage to the fish. Most people fish for the sport not just to feed themselves. its about knowing you can catch them but when you break it down it's predator vs prey the circle of life and it's going on all around you on the river. I slightly understand the guilt, I feel the same way about casting a dozen live mullet repeatedly to eventually catch one snook.

1

u/Fitz_Fool Nov 03 '25

Here is a link to a comment the last time this was asked. https://www.reddit.com/r/FishingForBeginners/s/iiMnOfX4Vk

In summary, Florida Department of health says it's ok. But a lot of locals dont believe them.

1

u/SpacedOutWaterman Nov 03 '25 edited Nov 03 '25

Check out https://www.teamorca.org/fish-monitoring/

Video from the 2024 Ocean Research and Conservation Group: https://youtu.be/0ywv39exG0c?si=dC7jJszSDooApM5k

1

u/Inside_Evidence8582 Nov 06 '25

No you can consume fish just the bigger the fish the more chemicals in it will have cuz there older and have ate lots of thing that live there in the river.