Fish Advisory for Calaveras County’s New Hogan Lake Offers Safe Eating Advice for Black Bass Species, Sunfish Species, and Channel Catfish

Jan 20, 2017

For Immediate Release:
Contact: Sam Delson
(916) 324-0955 (O)
(916) 764-0955 (C)

SACRAMENTO – The state issued a new fish advisory today that offers safe eating advice for three species of fish from New Hogan Lake in Calaveras County, located approximately 30 miles northeast of Stockton.

The California Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) developed its recommendations based on the levels of mercury measured in fish from New Hogan Lake.

“Eating fish low in mercury can help reduce the risk of heart disease and provide an excellent source of protein,” said Dr. Lauren Zeise, director of OEHHA. “These guidelines are designed to balance the health benefits of eating fish against the risks from exposure to mercury in fish caught from New Hogan Lake.”

When consuming fish from New Hogan Lake, women ages 18-45 and children ages 1-17 may safely eat one serving per week of Channel Catfish or sunfish species. Women younger than 46 and children younger than 18 should not eat any black bass species from New Hogan Lake, which have high levels of mercury.

Women age 46 and older and men age 18 and older may safely eat three servings per week of sunfish species, or two servings per week of Channel Catfish, or one serving per week of black bass species.

One serving is eight ounces prior to cooking, which for fish fillets is roughly the size and thickness of your hand. Children should be given smaller servings.

Mercury is a naturally occurring metal that is released into the environment from mining and burning coal, and accumulates in fish in the form of methylmercury. Methylmercury can damage the brain and nervous system, especially in developing children and fetuses.

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 health advisory and eating advice for New Hogan Lake – as well as eating guidelines for other fish species and California bodies of water – are available at /fish/advisories. A pictorial version of the fish consumption advice is also available on that page in both English and Spanish. The New Hogan Lake recommendations join more than 80 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.

OEHHA is the primary state entity for the assessment of risks posed by chemical contaminants in the environment. Its mission is to protect and enhance public health and the environment by scientific evaluation of risks posed by hazardous substances.

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