“These are smallmouth bass we have in here,” research associate Mark Swinton pointed out.

Swinton is helping with a study- looking at the levels of mercury and cyanotoxins, or blue-green algae, found in fish in Lake Champlain.

“We want to make sure that the people who are going out fishing, if they are going to consume these fish, that they are safe to eat,” Swinton said.

Mercury is the main focus.

Swinton said if you eat too much in a short amount of time, it can be deadly.

“Worst-case scenario, it can kill you,” Swinton said. “People will have everything from tingling sensations in their extremities, slurred speech, problems walking.”

As for blue-green algae toxins in fish,

“People can get very ill from it.  It’s very similar to paralytic shellfish poisoning,” Swinton said.

The Lake Champlain Basin Program is funding the project, concentrating on all seven segments of the lake and five species of fish: smallmouth bass, lake trout, walleye, yellow perch and white perch.

“Every five years or so they usually do another one, so we’re following up on studies that have already been done,” Swinton said.

Lake Champlain International is helping with the fish collection, and the Father’s Day Fishing Derby was the perfect opportunity to get the needed samples.

“As a research group, it would have taken weeks and weeks and weeks to do, where here, we were trying to harness the locals that know the area well,” Swinton said.

Swinton said the goal is to look at about 600 fish for a report that will be presented in May 2017.

“We want to make sure that everyone is safe and healthy and we want to inform them if they’re going to be doing something that won’t be safe and healthy for them,” Swinton said.