Fish Advisory for Rollins Reservoir Offers Safe Eating Advice for Three Fish Species
Fish Advisory for Rollins Reservoir Offers Safe Eating Advice for Three Fish Species
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
SAM DELSON
(916) 324-0955 (O)
(916) 764-0955 (C)
SACRAMENTO – An updated state fish advisory issued today for Rollins Reservoir in Nevada and Placer Counties provides safe eating advice for black bass species, Channel Catfish, and Sacramento Sucker.
Rollins Reservoir is located approximately 8 miles southeast of Grass Valley, on the Nevada-Placer county line. 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.
The advisory and guidelines replace a 2009 advisory for Rollins Reservoir because additional data became available.
“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 Rollins Reservoir, people can safely eat fish low in chemical contaminants and enjoy the well-known health benefits of fish consumption.”
When consuming fish from Rollins Reservoir, women ages 18-49 and children ages 1-17 should not eat black bass species or Sacramento Sucker. They may safely eat one total serving per week of Channel Catfish.
Women ages 50 and older and men ages 18 and older may safely eat a maximum of two total servings per week of Channel Catfish, or one total serving per week of black bass species or Sacramento Sucker.
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 Rollins Reservoir is available on OEHHA’s website in both English and Spanish. For fish species found in Rollins 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).
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.
The Rollins Reservoir advisory joins 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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- Mar 18, 2009
