New York State Department of Health (DOH) Advisories for Chemicals in Sportfish

Fish are an important part of a healthy diet and can be good to eat, but some fish contain chemicals that may be harmful to health. The New York State Department of Health (DOH) issues advice to help people make healthier choices about eating the fish they catch in New York State waters.

The following recommendations are based on contaminant levels in fish and shellfish. The advisories are for the year 2016–2017, but they may change from year to year based on new information. The complete, up-to-date advisories are available from the internet at: www.health.ny.gov/fish.

General advisory for eating sportfish

The general health advisory for sportfish is that you can eat up to four (one half pound) meals per month of fish taken from most of the state’s freshwaters and some marine waters at the mouth of the Hudson River. In the water-rich state of New York, there are many waterbodies where the entire family can enjoy up to four fish meals a month.

Specific advisories for freshwater and the Hudson River

Fish from more than 140 water bodies in New York have specific advisories. For these listed waters, DOH recommends either limiting or not eating certain fish. The specific advisories for fresh waters and the Hudson River are provided in the Health Advisory tables below. DOH recommends that women under age 50 and children under 15 don’t eat any fish from waters listed in the tables below. The reason for this advice is that chemicals may have a greater effect on developing organs of young children or in the unborn child. They also build up in women’s bodies and are often passed on in the mother’s milk.

Health advisories for marine waters

Health advisories for New York State marine waters, including the Upper Bay of New York Harbor, East and Harlem Rivers, Newark Bay, Arthur Kill, Kill Van Kull, Raritan Bay, Jamaica Bay, Long Island Sound, Block Island Sound, Peconic and Gardiners Bays and Long Island South Shore/Atlantic Ocean can be found on the DOH website at: www.health.ny.gov/fish.

2016–2017 Health Advisories for Freshwaters and the Hudson River Estuary

To minimize potential adverse health impacts, the DOH recommends:

• Eat up to four (one-half pound) meals per month of fish from the state’s freshwaters and the Hudson River Estuary, except as recommended below.
• Follow the advice on eating fish for waters listed below and their tributaries to the first barrier impassable by fish.

Women under 50 years of age and children under 15 years of age should not eat any fish from the waters listed below. All others should follow the listed advice. Also, see Special Advice on Lake Erie and Niagara River Above Niagara Falls, below.

Water (County)	Species	Recommendations
Amawalk Reservoir (Westchester)	Largemouth & Smallmouth Bass over 16″	1 meal/month
Ashokan Reservoir (Ulster)	Smallmouth Bass over 16″ & Walleye	1 meal/month
Beaver Lake (Lewis)	Chain Pickerel	1 meal/month
Beaver River Between High Falls Dam and Croghan Dam (Lewis)	Smallmouth Bass	1 meal/month
Big Moose Lake (Herkimer & Hamilton)	Yellow Perch over 10″ and Lake Trout	1 meal/month
Blue Mountain Lake (Hamilton)	Largemouth & Smallmouth Bass over 15″	1 meal/month
Bog Brook Reservoir (Putnam)	Walleye over 21″	1 meal/month
Boyd Corners Reservoir (Putnam)	Largemouth Bass over 16″ & Walleye	1 meal/month
Breakneck Pond (Rockland)	Largemouth Bass over 15″	1 meal/month
Brown Tract Ponds, Upper and Lower (Hamilton)	Largemouth and Smallmouth Bass over 15″	1 meal/month
Buffalo River/Harbor (Erie)	Carp	Don’t Eat
	Channel Catfish	1 meal/month
Canada Lake (Fulton)	Smallmouth Bass over 15″ & Chain Pickerel	1 meal/month
Canadice Lake (Ontario)	Lake Trout over 23″	Don’t Eat
	Brown Trout, smaller Lake Trout	1 meal/month
Cannonsville Reservoir (Delaware)	Smallmouth Bass over 15″ & Yellow Perch	1 meal/month
Carry Falls Reservoir (St. Lawrence)	Walleye	1 meal/month
Cayuga Creek (Niagara)	All species	Don’t Eat
Chase Lake (Fulton)	Yellow Perch over 9″	1 meal/month
Chenango River	Walleye over 22″	1 meal/month
Chodikee Lake (Ulster)	Largemouth Bass over 15″	1 meal/month
Cranberry Lake (St. Lawrence)	Largemouth and Smallmouth Bass over 15″	1 meal/month
Crane Pond (Essex)	Smallmouth Bass over 15″	1 meal/month
Cross River Reservoir (Westchester)	Largemouth & Smallmouth Bass over 16″	1 meal/month
Dart Lake (Herkimer)	Yellow Perch over 10″	1 meal/month
Delaware Park/Hoyt Lake (Erie)	Carp	1 meal/month
Diverting Reservoir (Putnam)	Walleye	1 meal/month
Dunham Reservoir (Rensselaer)	Walleye	Don’t Eat
	Smallmouth Bass	1 meal/month
Dyken Pond (Rensselaer)	Largemouth Bass	1 meal/month
East Branch Reservoir (Putnam)	Walleye	1 meal/month
Effley Falls Pond (Lewis)	Chain Pickerel & Smallmouth Bass	1 meal/month
Eighteenmile Creek, above and below Burt Dam (Niagara)	All species	Don’t Eat
Elmer Falls Pond (Lewis)	Smallmouth Bass	1 meal/month
Erie Canal Between Lockport and Niagara River (Erie/Niagara)	Carp	1 meal/month
Fall Lake (Hamilton)	Smallmouth Bass over 15″ and Rock Bass	1 meal/month
Ferris Lake (Hamilton)	Yellow Perch over 10″	1 meal/month
Forked Lake (Hamilton)	Largemouth & Smallmouth Bass, Lake Trout	1 meal/month
Fourth Lake (Herkimer & Hamilton) of Fulton Chain	Lake Trout	Don’t Eat
Francis Lake (Lewis)	Chain Pickerel over 20″	1 meal/month
Franklin Falls Flow/ Pond (Franklin & Essex)	Walleye	Don’t Eat
Freeport Reservoir (Nassau)	Carp	1 meal/month
Fresh Pond, Hither Hills State Park (Suffolk)	Largemouth Bass over 15″	1 meal/month
Goodyear Lake (Otsego)	Walleye over 22″	1 meal/month
Grant Park Pond (Nassau)	Carp	1 meal/month
Grasse River (St. Lawrence) Mouth to Massena Power Canal	All species	Don’t Eat
Great Sacandaga Lake (Fulton, Saratoga)	Smallmouth Bass & Walleye	1 meal/month
Halfmoon Lake (Lewis)	Yellow Perch	1 meal/month
Hall’s Pond (Nassau)	Carp and Goldfish	Don’t Eat
Herrick Hollow Creek (Delaware)	Brook Trout	1 meal/month
High Falls Pond (Lewis)	Smallmouth Bass over 15″	1 meal/month
Hinckley Reservoir (Herkimer & Oneida)	Chain Pickerel and Smallmouth Bass	1 meal/month
Hoosic River (Rensselaer)	Brown Trout over 14″	1 meal/month
Hudson River	See Table below
Indian Lake, Town of Diana/Fort Drum (Lewis)	All species	1 meal/month
Indian Lake—Towns of Indian Lake and Lake Pleasant (Hamilton)	Smallmouth Bass over 15″	1 meal/month
Irondequoit Bay (Monroe)	See Lake Ontario Advice
Kinderhook Lake (Columbia)	American Eel	1 meal/month
Kings Flow (Hamilton)	Largemouth Bass over 15″	1 meal/month
Koppers Pond (Chemung)	Carp	1 meal/month
Lake Algonquin (Hamilton)	Chain Pickerel over 20″	1 meal/month
Lake Capri (Suffolk)	American Eel and Carp	1 meal/month
Lake Champlain (Whole Lake)	Lake Trout over 25″ and Walleye over 19″	1 meal/month
Bay within Cumberland Head to Crab Island	Follow advice above plus: American Eel	1 meal/month
Lake Durant and Rock Pond, Town of Indian Lake (Hamilton)	Largemouth Bass over 15″	1 meal/month
Lake Eaton (Hamilton)	Yellow Perch over 10″, Smallmouth Bass	1 meal/month
Lake Ontario (Whole Lake)	Channel Catfish, Carp	Don’t Eat
	White Sucker, Lake Trout over 25″, Brown Trout over 20″	1 meal/month
West of Point Breeze	White Perch	Don’t Eat
East of Point Breeze	White Perch	1 meal/month
(Note: harvest/possession of Niagara River, Lake Ontario and St. Lawrence River American eel is prohibited per NYSDEC Regulations.)
Lewey Lake (Hamilton)	Smallmouth Bass over 15″	1 meal/month
Lewiston Reservoir/Power Reservoir (Niagara)	Carp	Don’t eat
Limekiln Lake (Hamilton & Herkimer)	Yellow Perch over 10″	1 meal/month
Lincoln Pond (Essex)	Largemouth Bass over 15″	1 meal/month
Loch Sheldrake (Sullivan)	Walleye	1 meal/month
Loft’s Pond (Nassau)	Carp and Goldfish	1 meal/month
Long Lake, Town of Long Lake (Hamilton)	Northern Pike	1 meal/month
Long Pond, Town of Croghan (Lewis)	SpLake over 12″	Don’t Eat
Lower & Upper Sister Lakes (Hamilton)	Yellow Perch over 10″	Don’t Eat
Lower Saranac Lake (Franklin)	Smallmouth Bass over 15″	1 meal/month
Massapequa Reservoir/Upper Massapequa Reservoir (Nassau)	Carp and White Perch	1 meal/month
Massena Power Canal (St. Lawrence)	Smallmouth Bass	1 meal/month
Meacham Lake (Franklin)	Yellow Perch over 12″	Don’t Eat
	Smaller Yellow Perch	1 meal/month
	Smallmouth Bass	Don’t Eat
	Northern Pike	1 meal/month
Middle (East) Stoner Lake (Fulton & Hamilton)	Smallmouth Bass over 15″	1 meal/month
Mohawk River
Between Oriskany and West Canada Creeks (Oneida & Herkimer)	Carp	Don’t Eat
	Largemouth Bass & Tiger Muskellunge	1 meal/month
Between West Canada Creek and Fivemile Dam below Little Falls (Herkimer)	Carp	1 meal/month
Moshier Reservoir (Herkimer)	Yellow Perch & Smallmouth Bass	1 meal/month
Nassau Lake (Rensselaer)	All species	Don’t Eat
Neversink Reservoir (Sullivan)	Brown Trout over 24″ & Smallmouth Bass	1 meal/month
Niagara River
Below Niagara Falls	Channel Catfish, Carp and White Perch	Don’t Eat
	White Sucker, Lake Trout over 25″, Brown Trout over 20″	1 meal/month
(Note: harvest/possession of Niagara River, Lake Ontario and St. Lawrence River American eel is prohibited per NYSDEC Regulations.)
North Lake—Town of Ohio (Herkimer)	Yellow Perch	1 meal/month
North-South Lake (Greene)	Largemouth Bass over 15″	1 meal/month
Onondaga Lake (Onondaga)	Largemouth & Smallmouth Bass over 15″, Walleye, Carp, Channel Catfish and White Perch	Don’t Eat
	Brown Bullhead and Pumpkinseed	4 meals/month
	All fish not listed	1 meal/month
Osgood Pond (Franklin)	Smallmouth Bass	1 meal/month
Oswego River (Oswego) Varick Dam at Oswego (Lock #8) to upper dam at Fulton (Lock #2)	Channel Catfish	1 meal/month
Mouth to Varick Dam at Oswego (Lock #8)	See Lake Ontario Advice
Pepacton Reservoir (Delaware)	Smallmouth Bass over 15″, Brown Trout over 24″ & Yellow Perch	1 meal/month
Pine Lake (Fulton)	Largemouth Bass	1 meal/month
Polliwog Pond (Franklin)	Smallmouth Bass	1 meal/month
Raquette Lake (Hamilton)	Largemouth Bass, Lake Trout	1 meal/month
Red Lake (Jefferson)	Walleye	1 meal/month
Ridders Pond (Nassau)	Goldfish	Don’t Eat
Rio Reservoir (Orange & Sullivan)	Smallmouth Bass over 15″	1 meal/month
Rock Pond and Lake Durant—Town of Indian Lake (Hamilton)	Largemouth Bass over 15″	1 meal/month
Rollins Pond (Franklin)	Smallmouth Bass	1 meal/month
Rondout Reservoir (Sullivan & Ulster)	Smallmouth Bass over 16″	1 meal/month
Round Pond—Town of Long Lake (Hamilton)	Yellow Perch over 12″	1 meal/month
Rushford Lake (Allegany)	Walleye	1 meal/month
Russian Lake (Hamilton)	Yellow Perch over 9″	1 meal/month
Sacandaga Lake (Hamilton)	Smallmouth Bass	1 meal/month
St. Lawrence River
Whole river	Carp, Channel Catfish	Don’t Eat
	White Perch, White Sucker, Lake Trout over 25″, Brown Trout over 20″	1 meal/month
Bay and cove east of S. Channel Bridge, near St. Lawrence/ Franklin Co. line	All species	Don’t Eat
(Note: harvest/possession of Niagara River, Lake Ontario and St. Lawrence River American eel is prohibited per NYSDEC Regulations.)
Salmon River (Oswego) Mouth to Salmon River Reservoir (also see Lake Ontario advice)	Smallmouth Bass	1 meal/month
Salmon River Reservoir (Oswego)	Largemouth & Smallmouth Bass	1 meal/month
Sand Lake—Town of Arietta (Hamilton)	Chain Pickerel	1 meal/month
Sauquoit Creek (Oneida) Mohawk River to Old Silk Mill Dam (near New Hartford/Paris town line)	Brown Trout	Don’t Eat
Saw Mill River (Westchester)	American Eel	1 meal/month
Schoharie Reservoir (Delaware, Greene and Schoharie)	Smallmouth Bass over 15″ & Walleye over 18″	Don’t Eat
	Smaller Smallmouth Bass & smaller Walleye	1 meal/month
Schroon Lake (Warren and Essex)	Lake Trout over 27″, Yellow Perch over 13″ and Smallmouth Bass over 15″	1 meal/month
Seneca River (Onondaga) Downstream of Lock 24 at Baldwinsville	See Onondaga Lake advisories
Sheldrake River (Westchester)	American Eel	Don’t Eat
	Goldfish	1 meal/month
Skaneateles Creek (Onondaga) Seneca River to Skaneateles Lake Dam at Skaneateles	Brown Trout over 10″	1 meal/month
Smith Pond at Rockville Centre (Nassau)	White Perch	1 meal/month
Smith Pond at Roosevelt Park (Nassau)	American Eel	Don’t Eat
	Carp and Goldfish	1 meal/month
Soft Maple Dam Pond and Soft Maple Reservoir (Lewis)	Rock Bass & Smallmouth Bass	1 meal/month
South Pond—Town of Long Lake (Hamilton)	Yellow Perch over 10″	1 meal/month
Spring Lake – Middle Island (Suffolk)	Carp and Goldfish	Don’t Eat
Spy Lake (Hamilton)	Smallmouth Bass over 15″	1 meal/month
Stark Falls Reservoir (St. Lawrence)	Northern Pike over 26″	Don’t eat
Stillwater Reservoir (Herkimer)	Yellow Perch over 9″, Smallmouth Bass & Splake	1 meal/month
Sunday Lake (Herkimer)	Chain Pickerel	Don’t Eat
	Yellow Perch over 10″	1 meal/month
Susquehanna River	Walleye over 22″	1 meal/month
Swinging Bridge Reservoir (Sullivan)	Walleye	1 meal/month
Threemile Creek (Oneida)	White Sucker	1 meal/month
Titicus Reservoir (Westchester)	White Perch	1 meal/month
Tupper Lake (Franklin & St. Lawrence)	Smallmouth Bass & Walleye	1 meal/month
Unadilla River	Walleye over 22″	1 meal/month
Union Falls Flow/Pond (Clinton, Franklin)	Northern Pike, Smallmouth Bass, and Walleye	1 meal/month
Upper & Lower Sister Lakes (Hamilton)	Yellow Perch over 10″	Don’t Eat
Upper Chateaugay Lake (Clinton)	Smallmouth Bass over 15″	1 meal/month
Upper Twin Pond (Nassau)	American Eel & Carp	1 meal/month
Valatie Kill Between County Rt. 18 and Nassau Lake (Rensselaer)	All species	Don’t Eat
Between Nassau Lake and Kinderhook Lake (Rensselaer & Columbia)	American Eel, Bluegill and Redbreasted Sunfish	1 meal/month
Weller Pond (Franklin)	Northern Pike	1 meal/month
West Branch Reservoir (Putnam)	Walleye	1 meal/month
Whitney Park Pond (Nassau)	Carp and Goldfish	1 meal/month
Willis Lake (Hamilton)	Smallmouth Bass	1 meal/month
Woods Lake (Hamilton)	Smallmouth Bass over 15″	1 meal/month

Women under 50 years of age and children under 15 years of age should not eat any fish from the waters listed below. All others should follow the listed advice. Also, see Special Advice on Lake Erie and Niagara River Above Niagara Falls, below.

Fish Advisories for the Hudson River
Women under 50 years of age and children under 15 should not eat any fish from the Hudson River downstream of the Corinth Dam. All others should follow the advice listed below.
Location (chemicals of concern)	Don’t Eat	Eat up to one (1/2 pound) meal per month	Eat up to four (1/2 pound) meals per month
Upstream from Corinth Dam (mercury)	Follow advice for Adirondack waters (above)
Corinth Dam to Dam at Route 9 Bridge in South Glens Falls (mercury and PCBs)		Smallmouth Bass over 14″ and Carp	All other fish species
Dam at Route 9 Bridge in South Glens Falls to Bakers Falls (PCBs)	All fish species
Bakers Falls to Troy Dam (PCBs)	Catch and release fishing only per NYS Department of Environmental Conservation regulations. Take no fish. Eat no fish.
Troy Dam south to Rip Van Winkle Bridge at Catskill (PCBs)	All fish species except those listed at right	Alewife, Blueback Herring, Rock Bass and Yellow Perch
South of Rip Van Winkle Bridge at Catskill (PCBs in fish and cadmium, dioxin and PCBs in crabs) (Note: harvest/possession of Hudson River American eel for food and American shad is prohibited per NYSDEC regulations)	Channel catfish, Gizzard shad, White catfish, Crab hepatopancreas and crab cooking liquid*	Atlantic Needlefish, Bluefish, Brown Bullhead, Carp, Goldfish, Largemouth Bass, Rainbow Smelt, Smallmouth Bass, Striped Bass, Walleye, White Perch	All other fish species Blue crab meat* (six crabs per meal)
* The hepatopancreas (“the green stuff” also known as mustard, tomalley, liver) found in the body section of crabs and lobsters should not be eaten because it has high contaminant levels. Because contaminants are transferred to cooking liquid, crab or lobster cooking liquid should also be discarded (Contaminants — cadmium, dioxin, PCBs)

Advisories for Lake Erie and the Niagara River Above Niagara Falls
Fish species	Advice for Men Over 15 & Women over 50	Advice for Women Under 50 & Children Under 15
Rock bass, Yellow perch, Burbot	Eat up to 4 meals/month	Eat up to 4 meals/month
Carp, Channel catfish	Eat up to 1 meal/month	Don’t eat
All Other Fish	Eat up to 4 meals/month	Eat up to 1 meal/month

Additional Advice for Women and Children Eating Fish from Adirondack and Catskill Waters

Certain larger, older fish in the Adirondack and Catskill Mountain regions often contain relatively high levels of mercury in their flesh. Because of this, children under 15 and women under 50 should NOT EAT yellow perch longer than 10″, northern pike, pickerel, walleye, largemouth bass or smallmouth bass from all Adirondack and Catskill region waters. The statewide advisory to eat up to four meals per month applies for yellow perch less than 10″, brook, brown and rainbow trout, bullhead, bluegill/sunfish, rock bass, crappie and other fish because these fish tend to have lower mercury levels. Children under 15 and women under 50 should NOT EAT fish from any waters listed above, including those in the Catskill and Adirondack regions.

Tips for Healthier Eating

1. Choose sportfish from waterbodies that are not listed above and follow the advice in this guide.
2. When deciding which sportfish to eat, choose smaller fish, consistent with DEC regulations, within a species since they may have lower contaminant levels. Older (larger) fish within a species may be more contaminated because they have had more time to accumulate contaminants in their bodies.
3. To reduce exposures to mercury, avoid or eat less largemouth and smallmouth bass, northern pike, pickerel, walleye and larger yellow perch (e.g., longer than 10 inches) because these fish tend to have higher mercury levels.
4. To reduce exposures to PCBs, dioxin, mirex, DDT, chlordane and dieldrin, avoid or eat less American eel, bluefish, carp, chinook and coho salmon, lake trout, striped bass, weakfish, white and channel catfish, and white perch, because these fish tend to have higher levels of these contaminants.
5. When preparing sportfish, use a method of filleting the fish that will remove the skin, fatty material and dark meat. These parts of the fish contain many of the contaminants.
6. When cooking sportfish, use cooking methods (broiling, grilling and baking) which allow contaminants from the fatty portions of fish to drain out. Pan-frying is not recommended. The cooking liquids and fat drippings of fish should be discarded since these liquids may contain contaminants.
7. Do not eat the soft “green stuff” (mustard, tomalley, liver or hepatopancreas) found in the body section of crab and lobster. This tissue can contain high levels of chemical contaminants, including PCBs, dioxin and heavy metals.
8. Anglers who want to enjoy the fun of fishing but who wish to eliminate the potential risks associated with eating contaminated sportfish may want to consider “catch and release” fishing.
9. Space out your fish meals so you don’t get too much exposure to chemicals at any given time. This is particularly important for women and young children.
10. Bacteria, viruses or parasites may be in or on fish. Keep harvested fish cold. Wear protective gloves when gutting, skinning and filleting. Wash hands and surfaces often when preparing fish, and keep raw foods separate. Cook fish and shellfish thoroughly before eating.

Deformed or Abnormal Fish

The health implications of eating deformed or abnormal fish are unknown. Any obviously diseased fish (marked by tumors, lesions or other abnormal condition of the fish skin, meat or internal organs) should be discarded.

Botulism in Fish and Waterfowl

In recent years, large numbers of some species of Lake Erie fish and waterfowl have been found dead, sick and dying, many of them as a result of botulism poisoning. The botulism poison is produced by Clostridium botulinum, a bacterium which is common in the environment and can produce harmful levels of botulism poison under certain environmental conditions. This poison has been found in some of the affected fish and waterfowl. The botulism poison can cause illness and death if consumed by humans or animals. Cooking may not destroy the botulism poison. This problem may also occur in other waters, and we don’t know whether all or only some fish and waterfowl species can be affected.

No human cases of botulism poisoning have been linked to these events. However, as a precaution, do not eat any fish or game if they are found dead or dying, act abnormally or seem sick. If you must handle dead or dying fish, birds or other animals, cover your hands with disposable rubber or plastic protective gloves or a plastic bag.

Good Sanitary Practices—Bacteria, Viruses and Parasites in Fish & Game

Fish and game and other meats can be contaminated with bacteria, viruses or parasites that can cause illness. You should harvest fish and game that act and look healthy, and follow good sanitary practices when preparing them. We recommend that you wear rubber or plastic protective gloves while filleting, field dressing, skinning or butchering. We also recommend that you remove intestines soon after harvest, don’t eat intestines and avoid direct contact with intestinal contents. Hands, utensils and work surfaces should be washed before and after handling any raw food, including fish and game meat. Fish and game should be kept cool (with ice or refrigerated below 45° F or 7° C) until filleted or butchered, and then should be refrigerated or frozen. Some hunters prefer to hang big game for several days before butchering; this should not be done unless the game can be kept at temperatures consistently below 45° F. Fish and other seafood should be thoroughly cooked before eating; game birds and other types of wild game meat should be cooked to an internal temperature (in the thickest part) of 165° F (74° C).

Additional Information

To receive an updated, complete version of the advisories, or for more DOH information on health effects from exposure to chemical contaminants, contact:

• Environmental Health Information, call 518-402-7800 or 800-458-1158. Leave your name, number and a brief message and your call will be returned.
• The complete updated advisories are available from the internet at:
  www.health.ny.gov/fish
• You can also request these updates by e-mail: BTSA@health.ny.gov
• For more DEC information on contaminant levels in sportfish, contact:
  Bureau of Habitat
  625 Broadway
  Albany, New York 12233-4756
  Telephone: 518-402-8920