Locations and reasons for fish consumption advisories in Kentucky.

• A fish consumption advisory was issued July 5, 2007, for Knox Creek and Fishtrap Lake in Pike County due to elevated polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) and mercury levels. See advisory here.
• A fish consumption advisory for the Mud River and Town Branch in Logan, Butler and Muhlenberg counties because of PCB contamination was amended on May 26, 2004.  This modifies the advisory that has been in place since 1999 for species caught in those streams. See the advisory here. 
• Five ponds on the West Kentucky Wildlife Management Area (McCracken County) are also under a fish consumption advisory because of mercury from unknown sources.
• Click on the year for the following Ohio River fish consumption advisories: 2005, 2003, 2002, 2001, 2000, 1999.
• A statewide fish consumption advisory was issued on April 11, 2000, because of low levels of organic mercury found in samples of fish from Kentucky waters. Women of childbearing age and children 6 years and younger are advised to eat no more than one meal per week of freshwater fish from Kentucky rivers, streams and lakes because of the presence of mercury.
• A fish consumption advisory was issued on July 7, 2000, for Metropolis Lake in McCracken County because of elevated PCB and mercury levels in fish. The advisory recommends that no more than one meal (one-half pound) per month of most fish, including largemouth bass and channel catfish, from Metropolis Lake should be eaten.
• In 1994, an advisory noted that certain species of fish caught in Green River Lake contain PCBs at elevated levels. These include carp and channel catfish.
• An advisory was issued in 1989 for fish from the Little Bayou Creek west of Paducah near Heath in McCracken County because of elevated levels of PCBs.

People who frequently eat fish, women of childbearing age and children are particularly susceptible to contaminants such as PCBs and chlordane that build up in the body. Women beyond their childbearing years and men face fewer health risks from contaminants. However, those persons should also follow the advisory to reduce their total exposure and be especially careful to space meals over time. Spacing meals helps prevent contaminants from building up to harmful levels in the body.

Proper cleaning, skinning, trimming and cooking can reduce the organic chemical contaminant levels in the fish. Eat only skinless, boneless fillets with as much fat as possible removed. Eggs should be discarded. Roasting, baking or broiling have been found to reduce levels of PCBs and chlordane more than other cooking methods. Cooking does not destroy contaminants, nor does it lower their toxicity. The heat melts some of the fat in the fish, removing some of the contaminants at the same time. Do not eat or reuse the fat and juices that cook out of the fish. However, heavy metal contaminants such as mercury are distributed throughout the flesh of the fish. Cleaning and cooking precautions will not reduce the amount of mercury in the meal. In order to reduce mercury intake, eat smaller fish and reduce the number and size of meals of fish that you eat.

See the Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources Web site for additional information about fish consumption advisories.

For additional information about fish tissue and fish consumption advisories, contact Eric Eisiminger at eric.eisiminger@ky.gov.