Updated Fish Advisory for Lake Berryessa Offers Safe-Eating Advice for Six 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 fish consumption advisory update for Lake Berryessa, located approximately 28 miles northeast of Santa Rosa, in Napa County. The advisory provides safe-eating advice for black bass species, catfish species, Chinook (King) Salmon, Inland Silverside, Rainbow Trout 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.
“Many fish have nutrients that may reduce the risk of heart disease and are excellent sources of protein,” said OEHHA Acting Director Dr. David Edwards. “OEHHA’s guidelines help people eating fish caught in Lake Berryessa to make healthy, informed decisions.”
OEHHA developed the recommendations based on the levels of mercury found in fish caught in the lake. Mercury is found in the environment due to prior mining practices and burning coal and accumulates 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 Lake Berryessa, OEHHA provides the following safe-eating advice:
Women (18 – 49 years) and children (1 – 17 years)
- Should not eat black bass species, catfish species or Chinook (King) Salmon.
- May eat the following on a weekly basis:
- Two total servings of Threadfin Shad, or
- One total serving of Rainbow Trout or Inland Silverside.
Women (50 years and older) and men (18 years and older)
- May eat the following on a weekly basis:
- Seven total servings of Threadfin Shad, or
- Three total servings of Rainbow Trout, or
- Two total servings of Inland Silverside, or
- One total serving of black bass species, catfish species or Chinook (King) Salmon.
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 Lake Berryessa is available on OEHHA’s website in both English and Spanish. For fish species found in Lake Berryessa 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. 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 HABs Portal to see if there are HAB advisories and always practice healthy water habits.
The Lake Berryessa advisory joins more than 140 other OEHHA advisories that provide site-specific, 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. Separate advice is available for Lower Putah Creek and Lake Solano, which flows southeast from Lake Berryessa. 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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- Mar 18, 2009
