Brooking said the potential risk had caused concern for “our people who traditionally consume tuna and morihana (carp) harvested from the lake”.
“It has also prevented us from fulfilling our manaaki commitments to our manuhiri in the customary way.”
The survey is being delivered by Cawthron chief science officer and food safety expert Dr Cath McLeod, who said it would help researchers and the trust understand tuna consumption patterns in the Wairoa district.
The survey would also help researchers understand whether the concentrations of toxins found in tuna posed a risk to people’s health.
“We really need to know what proportion of people consume tuna, how frequently they consume it, and how much they consume to be able to protect them effectively,” McLeod said.
McLeod said they would also collect information on other wild-caught aquatic species that people harvest and consume from lakes and rivers in the region, to better understand whether further research was needed on these.
The survey is confidential and voluntary, and the data is not being used to track tuna harvesting or tuna abundance.
Residents will receive the survey by mail over the next fortnight, and it can be completed online or using the form provided.
Wairoa: Human health risks from toxins accumulating in eels researched
