Fish Advisory for Bear River Offers Safe Eating Advice for Six Fish Species

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
SAM DELSON
(916) 323-2396

SACRAMENTO – A state fish advisory issued today provides safe eating advice for black bass species, Brown Trout, Channel Catfish, Rainbow Trout, Sacramento Sucker, and sunfish species from the Bear River, which spans Nevada, Placer, Sutter, and Yuba counties.

The California Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) developed the recommendations based on the levels of mercury found in fish caught from this river.

“Many fish have nutrients that may reduce the risk of heart disease and are excellent sources of protein,” said Dr. Lauren Zeise, director of OEHHA. “By following our guidelines for fish caught in the Bear River, people can safely eat fish low in chemical contaminants and enjoy the well-known health benefits of fish consumption.”

The Bear River originates in the Tahoe National Forest and constitutes the Nevada-Placer county boundary for much of its course before joining the Feather River south of Yuba City and Marysville.

This advisory does not cover other flowing waters within the greater Bear River watershed, nor the reservoirs that impound the river. Specific advice was previously developed for three of these reservoirs, Camp Far West Reservoir, Lake Combie, and Rollins Reservoir.

When consuming fish from the Bear River, women ages 18-45 and children ages 1-17 should not eat black bass species. They may safely eat a maximum of two total servings per week of Rainbow Trout or Sacramento Sucker, or one serving per week of Brown Trout, Channel Catfish, or sunfish species.

Women ages 46 and older and men ages 18 and older may safely eat a maximum of four total servings per week of Rainbow Trout or Sacramento Sucker, or three servings per week of Brown Trout or sunfish species, or two servings per week of Channel Catfish, or one serving per week of black bass species.

One serving is an eight-ounce fish fillet, measured prior to cooking, which is roughly the size and thickness of your hand. Children should be given smaller servings. For small fish species, several individual fish may make up a single serving.

For fish species found in the Bear River that are not included in this advisory, OEHHA recommends following the statewide advisory for eating fish that migrate.

Mercury is a naturally occurring metal that is released into the environment from mining and burning coal. It accumulates in fish in the form of methylmercury, which can damage the brain and nervous system, especially in developing children and fetuses. Because of this, OEHHA provides a separate set of recommendations specifically for children up to age 17, and women of childbearing age (18-45 years).

Eating fish in amounts slightly greater than the advisory’s recommendations is not likely to cause health problems if it is done occasionally, such as eating fish caught during an annual vacation.

The Bear River advisory recommendations join more than 100 other OEHHA advisories that provide site-specific, health-based fish consumption advice for many of the places where people catch and eat fish in California, including lakes, rivers, bays, reservoirs, and the California coast.

The health advisory and eating advice for the Bear River – as well as eating guidelines for other fish species and California bodies of water – are available on OEHHA’s Fish Advisories webpage: https://www.oehha.ca.gov/fish/advisories. The Bear River poster is available in both English and Spanish.

OEHHA’s mission is to protect and enhance the health of Californians and our state’s environment through scientific evaluations that inform, support and guide regulatory and other actions.

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