If you give a man a fish, he’ll eat for a day. If you teach a man to fish, make sure to teach him not to fish in Onondaga Lake. And teach him other things too.

A study conducted in June by Catholic Charities and the Southwest Community Center showed that the mercury and lead levels in people who eat fish from the lake is much higher than the average person.

The study also found that people who fished in the lake, and ate their catches, had high levels of lead and mercury in their blood. A large number of refugees, mainly Bhutanese and Burmese, have been consuming significant amounts of fish from Onondaga Lake, most unaware of how harmful it is to them.

The largest population of these harmful fish consumers were Burmese. Burma, also known as Myanmar, is a coastal country, located along the Bay of Bengal. There, fishing is a common way to get food. So, in Syracuse, it appears an assumption is immediately made that where there’s fish, there’s food.

This is where the challenge lies: helping those new to our city understand the severity of the decrepit state of the lake, and the legitimate danger it poses.

After 20 years, signs that cautioned the fishing harm were finally put up. These signs were posted in multiple languages including Spanish, English and Dzongkha, the official language of Bhutan. But Burmese, the language of Burma, is unrepresented.

Sharon Moran, associate professor at SUNY-ESF, said sometimes signs aren’t the way to go.

“People may place a great trust in word-of-mouth, from other people, and if that’s the case, then it would make sense to get the messages spread that way, too,” Moran said in an email.

Felicia Castricone, program director of refugee resettlement services for Catholic Charities, said the study conducted by her organization was a huge step in educating refugees of the legitimate danger. It brought to light the negative health effects due to fish consumption that may not have been taken seriously, at first. Castricone said she thinks refugees now understand the risks.

This situation serves as an example of the power of sharing local knowledge with new Americans, and why it is crucial that people remain sensitive and aware of different cultures when enacting policies to welcome anyone to the area.

Peter Morrissey is a entrepreneurship and emerging enterprises and information management and technology dual major. His column appears bi-weekly. He can be reached at pmorriss@syr.edu.

Published on August 5, 2018 at 10:37 pm