The New York State Health Department Issues Updated Fish Advisories

The New York State Department of Health (DOH) today released changes in New York's health advisories in the 2005-06 'Chemicals in Sportfish and Game.' This year's guide highlights health advisory changes for 25 ponds, lakes and reservoirs across the state. Twenty-four of the 25 advisories were issued due to mercury contamination identified in fish. As a result of these findings, the DOH is advising women of childbearing years and children under the age of 15 to avoid eating ANY FISH from the waters listed below. They should also avoid eating specific species of fish (northern pike, pickerel, walleye, largemouth bass, smallmouth bass and larger yellow perch) from ALL WATERS in the Adirondack and Catskill Mountain regions because of mercury contamination. The DOH recommends that all other individuals adhere to the advisories and the specified limits listed below when eating fish. The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) regularly samples fish in New York State waters. The new information on mercury in fish is part of a comprehensive DEC study supported by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority. Mercury and other contaminants may affect the nervous system and organs in the fetus, newborns and young children. Some of these contaminants may also build up in women's bodies and some chemicals may be passed to newborns in their mother's milk. Because some contaminants may accumulate and remain in the body for a long time, women should follow the stricter consumption advice throughout their childbearing years. New York State's waters include more than 70,000 miles of rivers and streams, three million acres in thousands of lakes, reservoirs and ponds and one million acres of marine waters. New York's fish monitoring and advisory program is among the most comprehensive in the nation. The DOH's annual health advisories provide advice for sports anglers, hunters and the general public about how to reduce exposure to chemical contaminants in the State's sportfish and game. Specific advisories now apply to 117 New York waters. This year, the DOH reviewed DEC sampling data collected from more than 2,500 fish in 84 waters across the state. A general, and long-standing, statewide advisory applies to sportfish taken from any fresh waters in the state and some marine waters at the mouth of the Hudson River. The general advice is to EAT NO MORE THAN ONE MEAL (1/2 pound) of fish per week. The fish advisories are published in the Fishing Regulations Guide and the game advisories are published in the Hunting and Trapping Regulations Guide issued by DEC. The complete Health Advisories and additional information can be obtained from the DOH's web site at http://www.nyhealth.gov/nysdoh/fish/fish.htm or by contacting the Department's toll-free information line at 1-800-458-1158. New DOH health advisories have been issued for the following waters: • Breakneck Pond (Rockland County) - EAT NO MORE THAN ONE MEAL PER MONTH of largemouth bass larger than 15 inches. • Canada Lake (Fulton County) - EAT NO MORE THAN ONE MEAL PER MONTH of smallmouth bass larger than 15 inches and chain pickerel (all sizes). • Chase Lake (Fulton County) - EAT NO MORE THAN ONE MEAL PER MONTH of yellow perch larger than 9 inches. • Chodikee Lake (Ulster County) - EAT NO MORE THAN ONE MEAL PER MONTH of largemouth bass larger than 15 inches. • Crane Pond (Essex County) - EAT NO MORE THAN ONE MEAL PER MONTH of smallmouth bass larger than 15 inches. • Dunham Reservoir (Rensselaer County) – EAT NO walleye and EAT NO MORE THAN ONE MEAL PER MONTH of smallmouth bass (all sizes). • Elmer Falls Reservoir (Lewis County) - EAT NO MORE THAN ONE MEAL PER MONTH of smallmouth bass (all sizes). • Francis Lake (Lewis County) –EAT NO MORE THAN ONE MEAL PER MONTH of chain pickerel (all sizes). In addition, based on lower mercury levels in smaller yellow perch, the previous advisory for yellow perch has been changed to EAT NO MORE THAN ONE MEAL PER MONTH of yellow perch larger than 9 inches (the previous advisory applied for all sizes of yellow perch.) • Franklin Falls Flow (also known as Franklin Falls Pond; Franklin and Essex Counties) - EAT NO walleye (all sizes). • High Falls Pond (Lewis County) - EAT NO MORE THAN ONE MEAL PER MONTH of smallmouth bass larger than 15 inches. • Kings Flow (Hamilton County) - EAT NO MORE THAN ONE MEAL PER MONTH of smallmouth bass larger than 15 inches. • Loch Sheldrake (Sullivan County) - EAT NO MORE THAN ONE MEAL PER MONTH of walleye (all sizes). • Meacham Lake (Franklin County) - EAT NO smallmouth bass and EAT NO MORE THAN ONE MEAL PER MONTH of northern pike (all sizes of both species). • Middle Stoner Lake (Also known as East Stoner Lake; Fulton County) - EAT NO MORE THAN ONE MEAL PER MONTH of smallmouth bass larger than 15 inches. • Moshier Reservoir (Herkimer County) - EAT NO MORE THAN ONE MEAL PER MONTH of smallmouth bass (all sizes). • North-South Lake (Greene County) - EAT NO MORE THAN ONE MEAL PER MONTH of largemouth bass larger than 15 inches. • Red Lake (Jefferson County) - EAT NO MORE THAN ONE MEAL PER MONTH of walleye (all sizes). • Rio Reservoir (Orange and Sullivan Counties) - EAT NO MORE THAN ONE MEAL PER MONTH of smallmouth bass larger than 15 inches. • Russian Lake (Hamilton County) - EAT NO MORE THAN ONE MEAL PER MONTH of yellow perch larger than 9 inches. • Salmon River Reservoir (Oswego County) - EAT NO MORE THAN ONE MEAL PER MONTH of largemouth bass and smallmouth bass (all sizes of both species). • Spy Lake (Hamilton County) - EAT NO MORE THAN ONE MEAL PER MONTH of smallmouth bass larger than 15 inches. • Sunday Lake (Herkimer County) - EAT NO chain pickerel (all sizes). • Swinging Bridge Reservoir (Sullivan County) - EAT NO MORE THAN ONE MEAL PER MONTH of walleye (all sizes). • Weller Pond (Franklin County) - EAT NO MORE THAN ONE MEAL PER MONTH of northern pike (all sizes). • Advisory Change for Canadice Lake Canadice Lake (Ontario County) – The advisory for Canadice Lake trout has been changed to EAT NO MORE THAN ONE MEAL PER MONTH of lake trout larger than 25 inches, based on lower PCB levels in smaller lake trout (the previous advisory applied to all sizes of lake trout.) A previous advisory to EAT NO MORE THAN ONE MEAL PER MONTH of brown trout (all sizes) remains in effect.