Updated Soulajule Reservoir Fish Advisory Recommends Limiting Bass and Crappie Species Consumption

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 an updated fish consumption advisory for Soulajule Reservoir, located 10 miles southwest of Petaluma, in Marin County. The update adds new safe-eating advice for bullhead species and sculpin species, while reducing serving recommendations for crappie species and black bass species due to increased mercury levels.  

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. 

“If you eat fish from Soulajule Reservoir, check our updated advice,” said fish advisory program manager Dr. Wesley Smith. “Due to increased mercury levels, we recommend the public limit eating black bass species and crappie species and consider choosing lower-mercury alternatives instead. Our advisories can help you make an informed choice based on the latest data available.”

Soulajule Reservoir is located within a watershed with natural mercury deposits and history of mercury mining, which may contribute to elevated mercury levels in the surrounding environment. 

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 Soulajule Reservoir, OEHHA provides the following safe-eating advice:

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

• Should not eat black bass species or crappie species.
• May eat the following on a weekly basis:
  • Two total servings of bullhead species or sculpin species.

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

• Should not eat black bass species.
• May eat the following on a weekly basis:
  • Four total servings of bullhead species or sculpin species, or
  • One total serving of crappie 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 Soulajule Reservoir is available on OEHHA’s website in both English and Spanish. For fish species found in Soulajule Reservoir 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 HAB Reports Map to see if there are HAB advisories and always practice healthy water habits.

The Soulajule Reservoir advisory joins more than 150 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. 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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