California Environmental Protection Agency Updates Fish Consumption Guidelines of Inland Caught Fish

CALIFORNIA — The California Environmental Protection Agency has updated its recommendations for safely eating sport fish caught in lakes and reservoirs throughout California.

The Statewide Advisory for eating fish from California’s Lakes and Reservoirs without Site-Specific Advice was updated using the latest data on mercury and polychlorinated biphenyls that can accumulate in fish and pose health risks to consumers.

The new advisory covers 14 fish species including brown trout, channel catfish, crappie, black bass, and rainbow trout.

According to the CDFW website, this is twice the number of fish that were covered in the original advisory in 2013.

“Many fish have nutrients that may reduce the risk of heart disease and are excellent sources of protein,” said Dr. Lauren Zeise, Director of CalEPA’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA), in an Aug. 18 press release from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.

“We are thrilled to provide Californians with these updated guidelines so they can safely eat fish low in chemical contaminants and enjoy the well-known health benefits of fish consumption.”

The OEHHA released the advisories earlier in August to inform the public of the risk of consuming certain California fish.

The fish advisories are guidelines that recommend how often a person can safely eat fish caught in California bodies of water.

The OEHHA offers over 100 site-specific advisories for lakes, rivers, bays, reservoirs, and coasts.

The OEHHA provides two sets of guidelines for eating fish one for women between the ages of 18-49 and children between the ages of 1-17 and a second set of guidelines for women 50 years of age or older and men 18 years of age and older. To learn more about the advisories see https://oehha.ca.gov/fish/advisories.