Health Advisories

New York Fishing

2019–2020 New York State Department of Health (NYS DOH)
Advisories for Chemicals in Sportfish

To help people make healthier choices about which fish to eat, the NYS DOH issues advice about eating sportfish (fish you catch). People can get the health benefits of fish and reduce their exposures to chemicals, or contaminants, by following the NYS DOH advice. The advisories tell people which fish to avoid and how to reduce their exposures to contaminants in the fish they do eat.

Types of advice

1) General advice: The general health advice for sportfish is that people can eat up to four, one-half pound meals a month (which should be spaced out to about a meal a week) of fish from New York State fresh waters and some marine waters near the mouth of the Hudson River. If there is no specific advice for a fresh waterbody, follow this general advice.

There is a general advisory because:

Fish from all waters have not been tested
Fish may contain unidentified contaminants
There are some chemicals (such as mercury and PCBs) that are commonly found in NYS fish

2) Specific advice: For some waterbodies in New York, NYS DOH issues stricter advice (eat a limited amount or none at all) because contaminant levels in some fish are higher. The specific advisories for fresh waters and the Hudson River are provided in the Health Advisory tables below.

To be more protective, NYS DOH advises that infants, children under the age of 15 and women under age 50 should not eat any fish from many of these waterbodies. Chemicals may have a greater effect on the development of young children or unborn babies. Also, some chemicals may be passed on in mother’s milk.

Health advisories for marine waters

Health advisories for New York State marine waters around New York City and Long Island can be found on the NYS DOH website at: www.health.ny.gov/fish.

Tributaries and connected waters

The specific advice in the following tables applies to tributaries and connected waters if there are no dams, falls, or barriers to stop the fish from moving upstream or downstream. This is because chemicals remain in fish when they move from one waterbody to another.

Visit www.health.ny.gov/fish for the latest advice about eating your catch for all regions in the state.

Fish advisory maps by county

Detailed maps are available that show the health advice for public access waters in many counties including most of the Hudson Valley. These are the first maps in a statewide series that will become available over time: www.health.ny.gov/fish/maps.htm.

The maps use color coding to highlight waters with NYS DOH general, regional (Catskill and Adirondack), and specific advisories, and show how the advisories apply to tributaries. These maps are a quick, visual guide that can help people make better choices about where to fish for food locally.

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. Advisories with changes are highlighted in red.

Water (County)	Species	Advice
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
Black River (Jefferson) from Carthage State Dam to Herrings Dam	Carp	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
Buffalo River/Harbor (Erie)	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
Canadice Lake (Ontario)	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
Dunham Reservoir (Rensselaer)	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″ and Carp	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
Lake Ontario (Whole Lake)	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 Lock E21 at New London and Lock E20 at Whitesboro (Oneida)	Carp	1 meal/month
Between Lock E20 at Whitesboro and Lock E18 at Jacksonburg (Herkimer & Oneida)	Carp	Don’t Eat
	Largemouth Bass & Tiger Muskellunge	1 meal/month
Between Lock E18 at Jacksonburg and Fivemile Dam below Little Falls (Herkimer)	Carp	1 meal/month
Moshier Reservoir (Herkimer)	Yellow Perch & Smallmouth Bass	1 meal/month
Mud Creek (Oneida)	Brown Trout, White Sucker	Don’t Eat
Nassau Lake (Rensselaer)	All species	Don’t Eat
Neversink Reservoir (Sullivan)	Brown Trout over 24″ & Smallmouth Bass	1 meal/month
Newburgh Area Waters (Orange) Beaverdam Lake, Stream from Stewart State Forest to Beaverdam Lake, Crestview Lake, Lockwood Basin/ Masterson Park Pond, Moodna Creek, Recreation Pond, Silver Stream, Washington Lake	All fish	Don’t Eat*
Niagara River
Above Niagara Falls	See below
Below Niagara Falls	Channel Catfish, Carp and White Perch	Don’t Eat
Below Niagara Falls	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
	Smaller Smallmouth Bass, Smaller Largemouth Bass and all other 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 over 9″	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, excluding area listed below (Franklin, Jefferson, St. Lawrence)	Carp, Channel Catfish	Don’t Eat
	White Perch, White Sucker, Lake Trout over 25″, Brown Trout over 20″	1 meal/month
From South Channel Bridge (including Turtle Creek Cove) downstream to north end of Raquette Point (Navigation Light Number 11) (St. Lawrence)	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	Smallmouth Bass	1 meal/month
Salmon River (Oswego) Mouth to Salmon River Reservoir	(and Lake Ontario Advice)
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, White Sucker	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
Schoharie Reservoir (Delaware, Greene and Schoharie)	Smaller Walleye	1 meal/month
Schroon Lake (Warren and Essex)	Lake Trout over 22″, 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
Sheldrake River (Westchester)	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
Smith Pond at Roosevelt Park (Nassau)	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
Sunday Lake (Herkimer)	Yellow Perch over 10″	1 meal/month
Susquehanna River	Walleye over 22″	1 meal/month
Swinging Bridge Reservoir (Sullivan)	Walleye	1 meal/month
Thayers Pond – Hoosick Falls Area (Rensselaer)	All fish	Don’t Eat*
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 Redbreast 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

* Test results indicate that fish from this water body have elevated levels of PFAS (previously referred to as PFCs) compared to fish from other waters. Based on data currently available, DOH recommends that people who fish these waters return their catch.

Advisories for the Hudson River and Tributaries
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 meal per month	Eat up to four meals per month
Upstream from Corinth Dam (mercury)	Follow Adirondack Region Advice
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 Hudson Falls Dam at Bakers Falls (PCBs)	All fish species
Hudson Falls Dam at Bakers Falls to Federal Dam at Troy (PCBs)	Catch and release fishing only per NYS Department of Environmental Conservation regulations. Take no fish. Eat no fish.
Federal Dam at Troy to Rip Van Winkle Bridge at Catskill (PCBs)	All other fish species not listed at right (including Striped Bass and Walleye)	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, Walleye, Crab hepatopancreas and crab cooking liquid*	Atlantic Needlefish, Bluefish, Brown Bullhead, Carp, Goldfish, Largemouth Bass, Rainbow Smelt, Smallmouth Bass, Striped Bass, 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 (PCBs)
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

Advisories for Owasco Lake in Cayuga County (Mercury)
Fish species	Advice for Men Over 15 & Women over 50	Advice for Women Under 50 & Children Under 15
Smallmouth bass, Walleye	1 meal/month	Don’t Eat
Rainbow smelt, Rainbow trout < 20“, Yellow perch < 10“	4 meals/ month	4 meals/ month
Rainbow trout ≥ 20“, Yellow perch ≥ 10“, All other fish	4 meals/ month	1 meal/month

Adirondack and Catskill Region Advice for Women and Children

Some fish in the Adirondack and Catskill Region have higher levels of mercury than in other parts of the state. There is additional advice to limit or not eat certain kinds of fish from these regions for women under 50 and children under 15 because some fish tend to have higher levels of mercury.

Women under 50 and Children under 15 DO NOT EAT: yellow perch greater than 10″, northern pike, pickerel, walleye, large and smallmouth bass.
Everyone in the family CAN EAT up to 4 meals/month from Adirondack and Catskill waters of: yellow perch less than 10″, bluegill sunfish, brook trout, bullhead, brown trout, pumpkinseed sunfish, rainbow trout, rock bass and other fish.
Check the tables (above) for more specific advice.

Tips for Healthier Eating

Choose sportfish from waterbodies that are not listed above and follow the advice in this guide.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.

Information About Deformed or Abnormal Fish and Botulism in Fish and Waterfowl

Visit www.health.ny.gov/fish/additional_information.htm.

Good Sanitary Practices While Fishing and Handling Fish

Microorganisms such as bacteria, viruses, and parasites are in all waters, and can be found on fish and crabs. These microorganisms may come from combined sewer overflows (CSOs), faulty septic systems, and animal waste. After heavy rains, levels of fecal contamination can be higher in waters. Assume that all waters can have fecal contamination even if you can’t see it. While fishing and handling fish, take the following precautions to avoid contact with microorganisms which can make you sick:

Fishing

If you see raw sewage, avoid fishing. Follow advice on any sewage-related signs.
Keep your hands away from your mouth, eyes, ears, and nose while fishing and cover open wounds to avoid contact with the water. This reduces the chances of getting sick from microorganisms that can enter your body through these pathways.
Wash your hands after fishing, especially before eating, and shower if you have had contact with the water.

Handling and Preparing Fish

Fish and crabs, even from waters with high levels of microorganisms, can be eaten if you follow these good hygiene practices:

Only keep fish that act and look healthy.
Wear nitrile, rubber or plastic protective gloves while gutting, filleting, and skinning the fish. Avoid directly handling and preparing fish when you have cuts or open sores on your hands.
Remove and discard the guts (internal organs) soon after harvest, and avoid direct contact with the intestinal contents.
Keep fish cool (with ice or refrigerated below 45°F or 7°C) until filleted and then refrigerate or freeze.
Wash hands, utensils, and work surfaces before and after handling any raw food, including fish.
Unlike PCBs, mercury and other chemicals, most microorganisms can be destroyed by cooking. Cook fish thoroughly until internal temperature is 145°F or until flesh is pearly and opaque and separates easily with a fork.

Additional Information

New York State Department of Health

www.health.ny.gov/fish

518-402-7800

800-458-1158

e-mail BTSA@health.ny.gov

For more information on contaminant levels in sportfish, contact:

NYS DEC, Bureau of Habitat

518-402-8920

Attention Anglers. Avoid Areas with Harmful Algal Blooms.

Avoid fishing in areas that appear discolored, paint-like or have the color of pea soup.
Don’t fish, boat, swim or wade in areas with blooms.
Don’t eat fish caught from areas with blooms.
Rinse with clean water if you, your family or pets have contact with blooms.

For more information about HABs and fish consumption visit: www.dec.ny.gov/chemical/77145.html and www.health.ny.gov/fish.