Skip to Main Content Skip to Main Navigation

Warning About Eating Freshwater Fish

 Facebook
Google
  Twitter  Email  More  Print
Brought to you by:

Mercury in Maine freshwater fish may harm the babies of pregnant and nursing mothers, and young children.

  • Pregnant and nursing women, women who may get pregnant, and children under age 8 SHOULD NOT EAT ANY freshwater fish from Maine’s inland waters. Except for brook trout and landlocked salmon, one meal per month is safe.
  • All other adults and children older than 8 CAN EAT two freshwater fish meals per month. For brook trout and landlocked salmon, the limit is one meal per week.

Warning: Some Maine waters are polluted, requiring additional limits to eating fish.

Fish caught in some Maine waters have high levels of PCBs, Dioxins or DDT in them. These chemicals can cause cancer and other health effects. The Bureau of Health recommends additional fish consumption limits on the waters listed below. Remember to check the mercury guidelines. If the water you are fishing is listed below, check the mercury guideline above and follow the most limiting guidelines.

 

SAFE EATING GUIDELINES

Androscoggin River Gilead to Merrymeeting Bay:

6-12 fish meals a year.

Dennys River Meddybemps Lake to Dead Stream:

1-2 fish meals a month.

Green Pond, Chapman Pit, & Greenlaw Brook(Limestone):

Do not eat any fish from these waters.

Little Madawaska River & tributaries(Madwaska Dam to Grimes Mill Road):

Do not eat any fish from these waters.

Kennebec River Augusta to the Chops:

Do not eat any fish from these waters.

Kennebec River from Shawmut Dam in Fairfield to Augusta:

5 trout meals a year, 1-2 bass meals a month.

Kennebec River from Madison to Fairfield:

1-2 fish meals a month.

Meduxnekeag River:

2 fish meals a month.

North Branch Presque Isle River

2 fish meals a month.

Penobscot River below Lincoln:

1-2 fish meals a month.

Prestile Stream:

1 fish meal a month.

Red Brook in Scarborough:

6 fish meals a year.

Salmon Falls River below Berwick:

6-12 fish meals a year.

Sebasticook River (East Branch, West Branch & Main Stem)
(Corinna/Hartland to Winslow):

2 fish meals a month.

 

Regulations in red are new this year.

Purple text indicates an important note.

Google Analytics Popular Posts Alert :
Please check/recheck/enter your Google Analytics Profile ID.
Return to the eregulations.com home page
Brought to you by:
Conservation Partner Advertisements: The Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife allows appropriate advertising in its annual regulation guides in print and online, in order to defray or eliminate expenses to the state, and support enhanced communications with Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife Constituents. Through a unique partnership with J.F.Griffin Publishing, LLC & eRegulations.com, ‘Conservation Partners’ have been established that pay for advertising in support of the regulations both in print and online. The Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife neither endorses products or services listed or claims made; nor accepts any liability arising from the use of products or services listed. Advertisers interested in the Conservation Partners program should contact J.F.Griffin/eRegulations.com directly at 413-884-1001,
JF Griffin Media
J.F. Griffin Media reaches 9,000,000 sportsmen every year through our print and digital publications. We produce 30 hunting and fishing regulation guides for 15 state agencies. For advertising information, please visit: www.jfgriffin.com