Catch and Release Policy in place until further testing is complete Published March 15, 2013 By Arlo Taylor 19th Airlift Wing Public Affairs LITTLE ROCK AIR FORCE BASE, Ark. -- The catch and release policy for fishing at both base lakes will continue until further notice as part of continued testing by base and state officials. The Arkansas Department of Health advises two years of sampling to draw definitive conclusions and recommendations for lifting the catch and release policy. The catch and release continuation allows base and state health and environmental experts to conduct further testing on the base lakes' soil, water and fish. "We are following the typical protocol of testing for any lake in Arkansas. State officials recommend two seasons of sampling to measure potential changes and trends in the fish population," said Maj. Jason Deese, base public health officer. "We are focused on gathering the most informed data before making a decision that could affect the health and safety of our Airmen and families." In January 2012, the policy was implemented based on some initial testing of trace metals in small, non-edible bluegill fish and sediment in the base lakes. Bioenvironmental Engineering sampling of larger fish in April 2012 indicated elevated mercury and lead. Results of further testing by base environmental officials coordinated a lake/sediment quality study results in May 2012. Results only indicated that further study was needed. Additional sampling in September 2012 indicated mercury and lead levels were below US Food and Drug Administration recreational consumption limits with the exception of a few samples. According to base environmental officials, there is no 'smoking gun' source of the cause of the elevated levels in the base fish population and the source of the contamination remains unknown at this time.