Low risk from McArthur River fish: NT

There is a low risk to human health posed by consumption of fish caught near the McArthur River Mine in the Northern Territory, an independent review has found.

The Departments of Health, Mines and Energy (DME), and Primary Industry and Fisheries funded the review by environmental consulting company Hydrobiology of all available data to examine whether heavy metals have been bioaccumulating to dangerous levels in fish caught near Borroloola.

After reviewing the findings of the report, it was agreed that the Food Standards Australia and New Zealand national guidelines for safe fish consumption were still appropriate for this region, the government said on Wednesday.

The government said the report identified "several knowledge gaps where the sampling regime could be improved to provide a more focused assessment of human health risk relating to consumption of aquatic life" and DME has written to the mine operator Glencore instructing it to address monitoring deficiencies by April.

A petition signed by almost 4000 Borroloola residents and Aboriginal traditional owners was presented to the NT government in September calling for the closure of the troubled mine, after freedom of information documents revealed that the mine's tailings dam was leaking into Surprise Creek, where fish had elevated lead levels.