Effects of post-event event effluent on sea fishing

[Binnie]

I'm no expert but i don't think you can contract HIV and AIDS through ingestion, well thats what they tell you at first aid courses before doing "the kiss of life"

yeah water courses becoming contaminated, is a major concern. especially those close to major cities, going upstream as far as possible is another consideration, my water source originates about 70 miles away, unfortunately it's not an option to go that far upstream.

[Scythe13]

I understand that you can't contract HIV or AIDS through saliva, so the kiss of life thing makes sense. But if fish are eating the carcass, that's my concern. It might be completely unfounded, but because I have no knowledge on these things, I have fears. Rational or irrational, I'm not a fan of the idea.

[Skean Dhude]

Not my understanding HIV is passed through blood and semen. If it contacts an open wound or something to gain entry to your blood. Gastric juices kill it. So it can be swallowed. This is why Lesbians are unlikely to get Aids.

[Mortblanc]

Getting back to the OP, I read a good bit if mis-speculation in this thread.

Fish are not hesitant to swim in water until they die from pollution intake. If they had a built in pollution monitor there would be no worry about the radiation off the Japanese coast or any other intake of pollution. I have never discovered how to tell a sick fish from a healthy one until it turned belly up and just because it looks good today does not mean it would not have died during the night while carrying enough toxins to kill a human.

In fact, some species of fish are attracted to effluent discharge points and thrive on the residue, carp, sturgeon and catfish especially.

I live in an area 12 miles from one of North America's major rivers, the Ohio, and another large river of historical merit, the Licking River.
We are warned off of eating the fish out of the Ohio on a regular basis due to intake of pollution from heavy metals. We are also in a long term ban on eating fish from the final 40 miles of the Licking River due to effluent discharge pollution.

In both those areas the fish population is heavy and the fish appear healthy.

The largest heavy metal discharge is from agricultural pesticides and fertilizers. The largest effluent contaminators are the small towns along the Licking River that refuse to properly process their sewage.

The real salvation might come when you have your "big die off". Fewer people to contaminate will mean less effluent to go into the water table. No water system will mean no flushing of commodes and less liquid for the systems to process, for as long as they work.

This collapse of the water/sewer system will probably be the incident that triggers any "big die off" that occurs.

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As long as you maintain the population density you had during the middle ages you will still have the pollution problem to deal withm just as they did then. Which goes back to the custom of maintaining one's health by drinking beer/ale rather than water....

[BDG]

In the middle ages, the lord of the manor was entitled to most of the waste the peasants produced. Meant he had a better food source so him and his offspring would out perform the peasants due to the extra manure.

If you do not want to use human waste on food crops, use it on fuel and timber crops.

I would be more worried about heavy metal accumulation than poisoning, but only because I could take precautions against poisoning - good gutting and cleaning, good cooking, fresh fish. If I suspected an area of very bad industrial pollution, I would stay away from it.

[bigpaul]

isn't there something about not eating shellfish when there's an R in the month??

[bigpaul]

ok if you don't want to eat shellfish or even fish from the sea, what about rock pools, when I was a kid we had a chalet at the seaside and I spent most of the time on the rocks searching the pools, I used to be able to net(one of those silly little nets on a bamboo stick you get at seaside stalls) enough Shrimps for a decent meal for me and my parents, I've also caught small fish the same way and I once saw an ENORMOUS eel in a rock pool...frightened the life out of me-the thing was HUGE!!!

[Scythe13]

Rockpools as a source of food. That's a good idea mate. Not thought of that.

[bigpaul]

well it'll probably turn up something edible, probably better than trying to fish with a rod and line, I think that's too time consuming for post SHTF, inland rivers i'd be using something like that crayfish net we were talking about some time back.

[Scythe13]

(16 October 2013, 15:24)bigpaul Wrote: well it'll probably turn up something edible, probably better than trying to fish with a rod and line, I think that's too time consuming for post SHTF, inland rivers i'd be using something like that crayfish net we were talking about some time back.

I remember that.

Post about netting coming up.