Fish Advisory for Coyote Lake Offers Safe Eating Advice for Five Fish Species

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
SAM DELSON
(916) 324-0955 (O)
(916) 764-0955 (C)

SACRAMENTO – A state fish advisory issued today for Coyote Lake in Santa Clara County provides safe eating advice for black bass species, Black Crappie, Common Carp, sunfish species, and Threadfin Shad.

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 the lake.

“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 Coyote Lake, people can safely eat fish low in chemical contaminants and enjoy the well-known health benefits of fish consumption.”

Coyote Lake is located approximately 36 miles southeast of San Jose.

When consuming fish from Coyote Lake, women ages 18-49 and children ages 1-17 should not eat black bass species. They may safely eat a maximum of one total serving per week of Black Crappie, Common Carp, sunfish species, or Threadfin Shad.

Women ages 50 and older and men ages 18 and older may safely eat a maximum of three total servings per week of sunfish species or Threadfin Shad, or two servings per week of Black Crappie or Common Carp, or one total 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.

A poster with the safe-eating advice for Coyote Lake is available on OEHHA’s website in both English and Spanish. For fish species found in Coyote Lake that are not included in this advisory, OEHHA recommends following the statewide advisory for eating fish from California lakes and reservoirs without site-specific advice.

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 (18-49 years).

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

Coyote Lake 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. Advisories are available on OEHHA’s Fish Advisories webpage.

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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