Recreational water restrictions lifted in areas within the Gippsland Lakes

6 January, 2012

Recent results from monitoring of the Gippsland Lakes blue-green algal bloom indicate that the algae in most areas have declined sufficiently to levels that will no longer adversely affect human and animal health on contact with the water.

Signs around the Lakes warning people not to come into contact with the affected water will be removed. This includes the Lakes Entrance, Metung and Paynesville areas. Areas west of Paynesville had not reached levels high enough to warn people not to swim in the water.

Signs will remain in place at Bunga Arm, Ocean Grange and Steamer Landing, where the levels of algae are still well above the trigger levels that can affect human health.

Mussels, prawns and crabs caught anywhere in the Gippsland Lakes are not safe for human consumption. The signs warning people not to eat mussels, prawns or crabs caught in the Lakes will stay in place until testing shows that levels of the toxins in seafood have declined enough to lift the advisories.

The Department of Health advises that people can fish in the Lakes, but anglers are advised to remove and discard the gills and guts before cooking. Blue-green algae toxin concentrates in the internal organs of fish and fish should not be cooked whole as this will re-distribute toxins from the gut to the fish flesh, making it unsafe to eat.

Licensed commercial fish suppliers will continue to process any fish caught in the Lakes to remove guts and gills prior to sale to consumers. Most fish landed by commercial fishers at Lakes Entrance are caught out at sea in areas unaffected by the algal bloom.

Toxin levels in seafood will continue to be monitored. As soon as testing shows that seafood in affected areas is safe for human consumption the public will be informed.

The levels of algae in the water will also continue to be monitored on a regular basis. It is still early in the summer season, so the bloom could again return to levels high enough to prevent the recreational use of water. The public will continue to be informed about any changes in those levels.

Information about blue-green algae is available on the DSE water website www.water.vic.gov.au/environment/algae and from DSE’s Customer Service Centre on 136 186.