Keith Lusher 09.10.25
Wisconsin’s DNR has issued new consumption advisories for fish, deer, and geese contaminated with harmful PFAS chemical compounds throughout sure areas of the state.
The advisories have an effect on hunters and anglers in Oneida County close to the City of Stella and all through Inexperienced Bay, the place excessive ranges of perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) have been detected in wildlife tissue. PFAS are artificial “perpetually chemical compounds” utilized in on a regular basis merchandise like non-stick cookware and meals packaging that persist within the atmosphere and accumulate in animal tissue over time.
The contamination stems from the Ahlstrom-Munksjö paper mill in Rhinelander, which traditionally unfold PFAS-contaminated sludge from its wastewater remedy on agricultural fields within the space for the reason that Nineteen Eighties Wisconsin DNRWisconsin Examiner.
In Inexperienced Bay, researchers have traced the contamination to Tyco Hearth Merchandise in Marinette. From the Sixties till 2017, the corporate used PFAS-containing firefighting foam for coaching and testing, and the chemical compounds unfold by groundwater into the bay WPRWisconsin DNR. When consumed, these substances pose well being dangers, together with elevated ldl cholesterol and weakened immune operate.
Residents and Hunters Specific Considerations
The brand new advisories have left each leisure customers and affected residents grappling with the truth of widespread contamination simply as looking season approaches.
“That is in all probability the very last thing that you simply wish to examine or hear about three weeks out from the opening of the south zone duck season,” mentioned Roger Hanson, President of the Inexperienced Bay Duck Hunters Affiliation. “It’s very disappointing when one thing like a perpetually chemical comes alongside.” Youth Waterfowl Day preview from Barkhausen Waterfowl Preserve in Suamico
Within the City of Stella, residents like Robin and Dave Gorman are coping with contamination ranges reaching 8,500 components per trillion of their effectively water. “You reside on a lake. You have got all of the toys to play on it. We’ve got grandkids. Then you consider your property worth. It’s very regarding,” mentioned Robin Gorman, whose Snowden Lake property is affected by the contamination.
“We’re additionally hoping that they will discover or pinpoint sources, the place it’s coming from, and put a cease to it,” mentioned Dave Gorman. “There’s been a whole lot of dumping occurring on this space.”
Even state officers had been shocked by the extent of the issue. “We’re by no means too shocked to seek out it, however we had been somewhat bit shocked to see the extent of the degrees that we did see in these geese from decrease Inexperienced Bay,” mentioned Wisconsin DNR Fish & Wildlife Toxicologist Sean Strom. Youth Waterfowl Day preview from Barkhausen Waterfowl Preserve in Suamico
Full Fish Ban Close to Stella
Officers issued a “Do Not Eat” advisory for all fish species from a number of waterbodies within the City of Stella space, together with the complete Moen Chain of Lakes, Sundown Lake, Starks Creek upstream to Starks Spring, and Snowden Lake.
The restriction follows contaminant monitoring that exposed elevated PFOS ranges in fish tissue from these waters. The advisory displays new consumption guidelines developed to deal with rising science on PFOS contamination.
Deer Looking Restrictions Expanded
Hunters harvesting deer inside a five-mile radius of the City of Stella city corridor now face strict consumption limits. Officers advocate consuming venison muscle tissue not more than as soon as per thirty days and fully avoiding deer liver.
The advisory stems from testing of 11 deer donated by hunters in the course of the 2024 season inside a three-mile radius of the world. Outcomes confirmed elevated PFAS ranges in muscle tissue, whereas liver samples contained considerably increased concentrations because of the organ’s function in filtering toxins from blood.
Inexperienced Bay Duck Advisory
Duck hunters on Inexperienced Bay should now navigate location-specific consumption guidelines. In Decrease Inexperienced Bay from Longtail Level to Level au Sable and south to the Fox River mouth, mallards carry a whole “Do Not Eat” advisory.
Within the northern part from Marinette to Sturgeon Bay and south to Longtail Level, hunters could devour mallards as soon as month-to-month and wooden geese as soon as weekly.
The waterfowl advisory impacts the upcoming fall looking season and replaces earlier pointers based mostly on polychlorinated biphenyl contamination.
Hunters and anglers can discover full consumption advisories within the Choose Wisely booklet and extra venison security info on the DNR’s website.
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