UTAH COUNTY, Utah — After more than 20 years of health concerns, officials say it is now safe to eat carp caught in Utah Lake.
Utah Lake Authority officials said the change comes after years of watershed restoration projects and removing nearly 30 million pounds of invasive carp and reducing toxic Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs) — man-made industrial chemicals used in industrial and electrical equipment — found in carp.
These efforts have helped improve the lake’s health and made it safer for recreation.
New efforts underway to get rid of carp in Utah Lake
One of the people recreating on Wednesday was Skinny Chantharath, who lives in Provo. Chantharath has fished at the lake for over 30 years.
Over that time, he has caught a wide range of fish, including carp. But he said he hasn't eaten Carp since the late 1980s.
“The first time I came to the U.S., I ate that Carp, you know?” he said while at a fishing dock.
For years, many anglers avoided exactly that.
According to Utah Lake Authority executive director Luke Peterson, those toxic chemicals likely came from old electronics dumped at the old Geneva Steel mill in Vineyard, which then washed into the lake. Since carp are bottom feeders, the chemicals settled into the mud and ended up inside the fish.
“We went from having dramatically high PCBS in 2005 to where they have dropped so dramatically,” said Luke Peterson, executive director of the Utah Lake Authority.
“It means that the future of Utah Lake is bright. I always say the lake is the healthiest it has been in at least 100 years. We’re excited to say as we’re entering summer, that the lake is healthy, it’s a place to recreate.”
And perhaps a place for Chantharath to catch and eat Carp after all these years.
“You know, some people just come fish for fun,” Chantharath said.
