Survey shows Swan River fish safe to eat

Environment Minister Bob Pearce says a survey of heavy metal levels in Swan River fish has found the levels well within health criteria and the fish perfectly safe to eat.

Mr Pearce said more than 80 samples of edible fish, including black bream, flathead, flounder, cobbler, mullet, mulloway, yellowtail and blue swimmer crabs, were analysed for cadmium, mercury, lead, tin, chromium and zinc.

The survey was part of an ongoing co-operative program involving staff from the Swan River Trust, Chemistry Centre, Fisheries Department, Health Department, Water Authority, the City of Bayswater and the EPA.

Samples were collected by members of the Swan and Melville angling clubs and officers of the Swan River Trust and Fisheries Department.

"There has been a fair bit of criticism about the state of the Swan River, claims that it is dying and that the fish are unsafe to eat," Mr Pearce said. 

"However, these results, together with a similar survey of pesticide levels last year, show that fish taken from the Swan River are quite safe to eat.

"The maximum residue levels not only conform to health standards, but are as good as those that you would find in a healthy, pristine marine environment," he said.

"All levels were well within Australian health standards and were almost all at background amounts.

"This confirms what the Government has been saying for some time, that the river is basically healthy and the quality of its fish is as good as any in the world.

"We still need to reduce the amount of nutrients entering the river system, but on the whole these results show that the river is a healthy, functioning ecosystem.

"The Swan River is one of WA's priceless assets, it is a wonderful thing to be able to catch an abundance of healthy, good eating fish right on the doorstep of a major capital city - there are not too many places in the world that can boast about that," Mr Pearce said.