Fish Advisory for Puddingstone Reservoir Offers Safe Eating Advice for Three Fish Species
Fish Advisory for Puddingstone Reservoir Offers Safe Eating Advice for Three Fish Species
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
SAM DELSON
(916) 324-0955 (O)
(916) 764-0955 (C)
SACRAMENTO – A state fish advisory issued today for Puddingstone Reservoir in San Dimas (Los Angeles County) provides safe eating advice for black bass species, Common Carp, and sunfish species.
The California Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) developed the recommendations based on the levels of mercury and PCBs found in fish caught from the reservoir.
“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 Puddingstone Reservoir, people can safely eat fish low in chemical contaminants and enjoy the well-known health benefits of fish consumption.”
Puddingstone Reservoir is located at the Frank G. Bonelli Regional Park in San Dimas, Los Angeles County, near the intersection of two freeways: the Orange (State Route 57) and San Bernardino (Interstate 10) freeways in San Dimas.
When consuming fish from Puddingstone Reservoir, women ages 18-49 and children ages 1-17 may safely eat a maximum of seven total servings per week of sunfish species, or one serving per week of black bass species or Common Carp.
Women ages 50 and older and men ages 18 and older may safely eat a maximum of seven total servings per week of sunfish species, or two servings per week of black bass species, or one serving per week of Common Carp.
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 Puddingstone Reservoir 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).
PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls) are a group of industrial chemicals. At high levels of exposure, they can cause health problems, including cancer. Although they were banned in the United States in the late 1970s, PCBs persist in the environment from spills, leaks or improper disposal. PCBs accumulate in the skin, fat, and some internal organs of fish. In order to reduce exposure from PCB contaminated fish, OEHHA recommends eating only the skinless fillet (meat) portion of the fish.
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.
Puddingstone Reservoir 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 Puddingstone Reservoir – as well as eating guidelines for other fish species in California bodies of water – are available on OEHHA’s Fish Advisories webpage. The Puddingstone Reservoir 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.
###
- Jan 22, 2019
