Pond Boss Forums STOCKING A NEW POND Creating the food chain Blue green algae and fish harvest

One of the ponds where I work tested positive for blue green algae last summer, is it safe to consume fish from water that had this show up?

"Blue green algae" is like having your wife tell you to buy Kleenex at the store and get upset with you when you come home with Puffs brand.

There are hundreds of types of "blue green algae" yet only a select few are toxic. Without knowing the specific species of blue green algae it's impossible to answer the question.

Hopefully Bill Cody weighs in on this. He can dive deeper into the answer.

Pictures help (of the algae).

Actually there are thousands of types (species) of blue-green (BGrn) algae (aka Cyanobacteria)..
Testing positive for BGrn can be two ways" Identification and a toxicity test. The species of Cyanobacteria that can produce toxins do not always produce toxins. Water quality seems to determines when the toxin is produced.

Fish flesh (fillets) gathered from water that has dense Cyanobacteria bloom will likely have an off flavor - distasteful.

This from AI if you can believe it.
Eating fish from waters with cyanobacteria (blue-green algae) blooms carries unknown risks, though risks are reduced if precautions are taken. Toxins often accumulate in organs, not fillets. The safest practice is to avoid eating fish caught in, or near, scummy or discolored water to avoid potential liver or neurological damage, say the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

It was the end of last summer here in South Carolina, not unusual I was told by our pond management company. I will try to get specifics on the species. We are in need of harvesting some BG and was hoping for a fish fry but don’t want to get anyone sick. Have any of you eaten fish from water with Cyanobacteria present or would you?

If the pond / lake has green floating surface films, first try catching a few, clean them and taste. If they taste okay and surface films are not covering more than 30% of the lake then it is PROBABLY okay to have a fish fry. Remember when feeding guests food you are legally liable if someone decides to sue. If it were me, I would first have the algae film material tested for toxins.