OEHHA Issues 150th Fish Advisory in California

Guidelines for Cachuma Lake Offers Safe-Eating Advice for Three Species

For Immediate Release 
Contact: Amy Gilson
(916) 764-0955
Amy.Gilson@oehha.ca.gov

SACRAMENTO – Today, the California Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) issued a new fish consumption advisory for Cachuma Lake, located about 15 miles northwest of the city of Santa Barbara, in Santa Barbara County. The advisory provides safe-eating advice for black bass species, Common Carp and Threadfin Shad.  

OEHHA’s Good Catch California program routinely develops fish advisories so Californians can make healthy choices about the fish they catch in waterbodies across the state. With the addition of the Lake Cachuma fish advisory, OEHHA has now issued 150 advisories for waterbodies across the state.  

“If you eat fish from Cachuma Lake, check our new fish advice. It can help you decide which fish to eat and how much,” said fish advisory program manager Dr. Wesley Smith. “We issued guidance for three species to help you choose which fish to eat safely.” 

OEHHA developed these recommendations based on the levels of mercury found in fish caught in the lake. Historic mining and coal burning released mercury into the environment, where it can accumulate in fish. Because mercury affects brain development, particularly in developing children and fetuses, OEHHA provides advice tailored to two groups based on sex and age. 

For Cachuma Lake, OEHHA provides the following safe-eating advice:
Women (18 – 49 years) and children (1 – 17 years)

• Should not eat black bass species.
• May eat the following on a weekly basis:
  • Two total servings of Threadfin Shad, or
  • One total serving of Common Carp.

Women (50 years and older) and men (18 years and older)

• May eat the following on a weekly basis:
  • Four total servings of Threadfin Shad, or
  • Three total servings of Common Carp, or
  • One total serving of black bass species.

One serving for adults is an eight-ounce fish fillet, measured before cooking, which is roughly the size and thickness of your hand. For small fish species, several individual fish may make up a single eight-ounce serving. Children should eat servings of less than eight ounces. Eating fish in amounts slightly greater than the advisory’s recommendations is not likely to cause health problems if it is done only occasionally, such as eating fish caught during an annual vacation.

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

OEHHA’s fish advisory recommendations are based on the levels of contaminants, such as mercury, that persist in the environment and accumulate in fish. Keeping mercury and other persistent chemicals out of the environment is critical to protecting the environment and human health. They are independent of any shorter-term advisories to limit fish intake due to freshwater or estuarine harmful algal blooms (HABs), which can produce toxins harmful to humans. Before fishing, check the California HAB Reports Map to see if there are HAB advisories and always practice healthy water habits.

The Cachuma Lake advisory joins more than 150 other OEHHA advisories that provide health-based fish consumption advice for many 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 the environment through scientific evaluations that inform, support, and guide regulatory and other actions in the state.

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