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Advisories & Consumption Guidelines

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Knowing if the fish you catch are safe to eat can help protect the health of your family and friends. The Oregon Health Authority has found harmful chemicals in fish from the waterbodies listed below and advises how much is safe to eat.

Visit the Oregon Health Authority’s fish advisories page to view a statewide map of freshwater fish advisories and learn how to safely eat the fish you catch.

 Visit the Oregon Fishing Advisories & Consumption Guidelines page for more information.

Vulnerable population includes children under age 6, people who are pregnant, may become pregnant, or are nursing, and people with thyroid or immune system problems.

General population includes adults and adolescents who do not fall into vulnerable categories.

Resident fish such as bass, panfish, carp, and catfish spend their entire lives within a certain territory, and do not migrate.

Migratory fish such as salmon, steelhead, and shad, spend most of their lives at sea. In general, smaller, younger migratory fish have fewer localized contaminants.

Fish Advisories and Consumption Guidelines
Zone	Waterbody	Contaminant	Affected Fish Species	Meals Per Month
Zone	Waterbody	Contaminant	Affected Fish Species	Vulnerable Population*	General Population
Statewide	All state waterbodies Technical report: Information OHA used to warrant a statewide advisory Frequently asked questions	Mercury	Bass	2	6
Columbia	Lower Columbia River - mouth to Bonneville Dam	PCBs, Mercury	Sturgeon	4	6
	Bonneville Dam at Bradford Island, extending one mile upstream to Ruckel Creek	PCBs	All resident fish (Including Sturgeon)	DO NOT EAT
	Columbia River and its Oregon tributaries (e.g. Willamette, Hood, John Day, Deschutes, etc.)	PCB, Mercury	Lamprey	2	4
	Mid-Columbia River, from Ruckel Creek to McNary Dam	Mercury	All resident fish (Including Sturgeon)	4	4
Southwest	Applegate Lake	Mercury	Large and smallmouth bass and yellow perch	2	5
	Applegate Lake	Mercury	Panfish (bluegill and crappie)	4	13
	Cooper Creek Reservoir	Mercury	All resident fish	1	4
	Emigrant Reservoir	Mercury	All resident fish except rainbow trout	1	3
	Galesville Reservoir	Mercury	All resident fish	1	4
	Plat I Reservoir	Mercury	All resident fish	2	6
Central	East Lake	Mercury	All resident fish	1	3
Central	East Lake	Mercury	Brown trout (16 inches or longer)	DO NOT EAT	1
Southeast	Antelope Reservoir	Mercury	All resident fish	DO NOT EAT	1
	Jordan Creek, from Antelope Reservoir to the creek’s confluence with the Owyhee River	Mercury	All resident fish	DO NOT EAT	1
	Owyhee Reservoir	Mercury	All resident fish	1	3
	Owyhee River upstream to Three Forks	Mercury	All resident fish	2	6
	Phillips Reservoir	Mercury	Yellow perch	2	5
Willamette	Columbia Slough Press Release Technical Report City of Portland Bureau of Environmental Services Website: Factsheet Translations Social Media Cards General Columbia Slough	PCBs PFOS	All resident fish including crayfish	Fillet only - 1 Whole body - DO NOT EAT
		PCBs PFOS	Largescale sucker	Fillet only - 2 Whole body - DO NOT EAT
	Cottage Grove Reservoirs	Mercury	All resident fish except stocked, fin-clipped rainbow trout (12 inches or less)	DO NOT EAT	1
	Dorena Reservoirs	Mercury		1	4
Willamette	Lower Willamette River, from the Sellwood Bridge to its confluence with the Columbia and Multnomah Channel from its confluence with the Willamette to the Sauvie Island Bridge.	PCBs	Crappie	2
			Crayfish	2 (Do not eat the heads)
			Carp, Brown Bullhead, Bass, and other resident fish	DO NOT EAT
			(Note: freshwater clams and mussels in the Willamette River contain contaminants and harvest is prohibited)
	Multnomah Channel and Scappoose Bay From the Sauvie Island Bridge to the confluence with the Columbia and all of Scappoose Bay.	PCBs & Dioxins/Furans	Smallmouth bass, Carp, and other resident fish	1
			Crayfish	11 (Do not eat the heads)
			Sculpin	3
			(Note: freshwater clams and mussels in the Willamette River contain contaminants and harvest is prohibited)
	Willamette River, from its mouth to Eugene, tributaries excluded except Coast Fork to Cottage Grove Reservoir.	Mercury	All resident fish	1	4
Snake River	Snake River, from just south of Adrien, OR north to the WA border Includes: Brownlee Reservoir and the Powder River arm	Mercury	All resident fish	3	8

Recreational Shellfish Advisories and Consumption Guidelines
Zone	Affected Species	Contaminant	Location	Meals Per Month
Oregon Coast	Softshell clams (Mya arenaria) Gaper clams (Tresus capax)	Inorganic Arsenic	North Coast (Mouth of Columbia to Neskowin)	Siphon skin intact: 1 Siphon skin removed: 11
			Central Coast (Cascade Head to mouth of Umpqua River)	Siphon skin intact: 2 Siphon skin removed: 26
			South Coast (Mouth of Umpqua River to California Border)	Siphon skin intact: 4 Siphon skin removed: 33
Note: Meal sizes for softshell and gaper clams depend on your age. All recommended meal sizes are excluding shells: 2-3 years = 2oz. (1/4 cup); 4-6 years = 3oz. (1/3 cup); 7-11 years = 4oz. (1/2 cup); 12-16 years = 6oz. (3/4 cup); Adult (17+ years) = 8oz. (1 cup)

Illustration showing how to reduce exposure to PCBs and other fat-soluble chemicals by removing a fish’s skin and trimming fat along the back, sides, and belly before cooking. Text instructions recommend discarding skin, fat, and organs, and grilling, baking, or broiling so fats can drip off. — Diagram showing the recommended cuts to remove skin and fatty areas from fish to help reduce exposure to PCBs and other fat-soluble chemicals.

What is a Meal?

A meal is about the size and thickness of your hand, or 1 oz. uncooked fish for every 20 lbs. of body weight.

Simple outline graphic of a fish used in Oregon fish consumption advisories to represent one meal serving. — Graphic symbol of a single fish serving used in Oregon’s fish consumption advisory guidance.

160 lb. adult = 8 oz.
80 lb. child = 4 oz.

Lead Fishing Tackle: The Health Risks May Be Heavier Than You Think

What are the risks?

Lead is toxic to both children and adults, and can affect almost every organ and system in your body. You can be exposed to lead or lead fumes while making your own fishing weights, or by inappropriately handling pre-made weights.

Tips for anglers

Children are especially vulnerable, but adults should take precautions as well.

Use non-lead fishing weights where possible.
Never throw old fishing gear into the water or discard along shore.
Don’t put split shot in your mouth or bite down on split shot —use pliers.
Wash hands thoroughly after handling lead sinkers or cleaning out your tackle box.
Take special precautions when making lead sinkers or jigs.
Spread the word. Encourage other anglers to switch to lead free sinkers and jigs. Talk with your favorite retailer and ask them to stock non-lead fishing tackle.
If you’re making your own fishing weights, never melt lead inside your home, always work in a well-ventilated area and wear a respirator mask, and be sure to wash your body and clothes after working with lead.

Lead-free alternatives

Non-lead fishing tackle is not just a novelty product. There are several alternative materials available — tin, steel, bismuth, brass and tungsten. Ask for it at retailers and stores. Or search the internet for on-line sources.

Fishing lead and the environment

While the impact of lead hunting ammunition on the environment and wildlife has been documented, the impact of lead tackle on fish or fish predators is less clear. However, lead is toxic to almost all organisms and has no biological benefit in any amount. So a cautious approach is to Get the Lead Out.

To learn more about the impact of lead exposure on human health, visit the Oregon Health Authority’s lead poisoning prevention page.

Pile of silver-colored lead fishing weights in various shapes and sizes used for angling. — Lead fishing weights in multiple shapes and sizes commonly used by anglers.

ODA Shellfish Closure

Oregon Department of Agriculture may close recreational shellfishing due to biotoxin levels.

Call (800) 448-2474 or visit the ODA website to check on the most up-to-date clam, crab, and mussel biotoxin closure information.

Scan this QR code for current Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife shellfish closure and safety updates.