Toxic firefighting chemicals may have been spread across Victorian waterways

People warned not to eat animals from the Heart Morass wetland, but fishing industry says 'ranching' practice may have already spread the threat

Potentially carcinogenic firefighting chemicals discovered in a Victorian wetland may have been spread across the state because of a commercial fishing practice known as "ranching".

The Victorian Environment Protection Authority said testing by the Department of Defence had discovered "elevated" levels of per-and poly-fluoroalkyl substances - commonly knows as PFAS - in animals from the Heart Morass wetlands near Sale in eastern Victoria.