Updated Fish Advisory for Lower Putah Creek and Lake Solano Offers Safe-Eating Advice for Multiple Species

Sep 26, 2024

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 Lower Putah Creek and Lake Solano, which runs through Solano and Yolo counties, from Monticello Dam on Lake Berryessa to just west of Sacramento. The advisory provides safe-eating advice for Bigscale Logperch, black bass species, catfish species, Common Carp, crayfish species, Inland Silverside, Mosquitofish, Sacramento Blackfish, Sacramento Pikeminnow, Sacramento Sucker, sculpin species and sunfish species. OEHHA also recently updated the fish consumption advisory for Lake Berryessa.

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 fish are excellent sources of protein,” said OEHHA Acting Director Dr. David Edwards. “OEHHA’s guidelines help people eating fish caught in Lower Putah Creek and Lake Solano to make healthy, informed decisions.”

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 Lower Putah Creek and Lake Solano, OEHHA provides the following safe-eating advice:

Women (18 – 49 years) and children (1 – 17 years)

Should not eat black bass species or Sacramento Pikeminnow
May eat the following on a weekly basis:
- Two total servings of Bigscale Logperch, catfish species, Inland Silverside, Mosquitofish, Sacramento Blackfish, sculpin species, sunfish species, or
- One total serving of Common Carp, crayfish or Sacramento Sucker.

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

May eat the following on a weekly basis:
- Seven total servings per week of Bigscale Logperch, Inland Silverside, Mosquitofish, Sacramento Blackfish, sculpin species, or
- Four total servings per week of catfish species or sunfish species, or
- Three total servings of Common Carp, crayfish or Sacramento Sucker, or
- One total serving of black bass species or Sacramento Pikeminnow.

One serving for adults is an eight-ounce fish fillet, measured before cooking, which is roughly the size and thickness of your hand. For crayfish, one serving is 8 ounces of shelled tail meat. 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 Lower Putah Creek and Lake Solano is available on OEHHA’s website in both English and Spanish. For fish species found in Lower Putah Creek and Lake Solano that are not included in this advisory, OEHHA recommends following its statewide advisory for eating fish from California rivers, streams, and creeks 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 that are 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 Lower Putah Creek and Lake Solano advisory joins more than 140 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 the environment through scientific evaluations that inform, support, and guide regulatory and other actions in the state.

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