United States Office of Water EPA-823-F-04-016

Environmental Protection 4305 August 2004

Agency

Fact Sheet

National Listing of Fish Advisories

Summary

For the 12th year since 1993, EPA is making available to the public its compendium of information on locally issued fish advisories and 

safe eating guidelines. This information is provided to EPA annually by states, territories and tribes and EPA makes this information easily

accessible to the public every summer on its web site (http://www.epa.gov/waterscience/fish/.) States, territories and tribes issue fish

consumption advisories and safe eating guidelines for waters in order to inform people about the recommended level of consumption of

fish caught in local waters. U.S. emissions of mercury have declined by almost 50% since 1990. The 2003 National Listing of Fish

Advisories database shows that the number of safe eating guidelines issued continues to rise rapidly, and that states, territories and tribes

also continue to issue new fish advisories, with most new fishing advisories involving mercury. 

The national listing is available on the Internet at http://www.epa.gov/waterscience/fish/.

pregnant women). Sensitive subpopulations are advised to

avoid eating certain types of locally caught fish or wildlife.

■ Restricted-consumption advisory for the general

population – Issued when contaminant levels in fish or

wildlife may pose a health risk if too much fish or wildlife is

consumed. The general population is advised to limit eating

certain types of locally caught fish or wildlife.

■ Restricted-consumption advisory for sensitive subpopulations – Issued when contaminant levels in fish or

wildlife may pose a health risk if too much fish or wildlife 

is consumed. Sensitive subpopulations are advised to limit

eating certain types of locally caught fish or wildlife.

■ Commercial fishing ban – Issued when high levels of 

contamination are found in fish caught for commercial 

purposes. These bans prohibit the commercial harvest 

and sale of fish and shellfish from a designated waterbody. 

In addition to the five major types of advisories, states are

increasingly issuing notices of statewide advisories and safe

eating guidelines. A statewide advisory is issued to warn the

public of the potential human health risks from widespread

chemical contamination of certain species from particular

types of waterbodies (e.g., lakes, rivers, and/or coastal waters)

within the state. An advisory for each waterbody name or type

of waterbody may be listed as one advisory regardless of the

number of fish or water-dependent wildlife species affected or

the number of chemical contaminants detected. In contrast, a

safe eating guideline is issued to inform the public that fish

from specific waterbodies have been tested for chemical

contaminants, and the results have shown that specific species

of fish from these waters are safe to eat without consumption

restrictions. 

2003 National Listing of Fish Advisories 

Web Site

The 2003 National Listing of Fish Advisories web site lists

3,089 advisories in 48 states. The web site includes 

■ Information on species and size of fish or water-dependent

wildlife under advisory 

Background

The states, District of Columbia, territories, and Native

American tribes (for simplicity, hereafter referred to as states)

have primary responsibility for protecting their residents from

the health risks of eating contaminated fish caught in local

waters. Over the years, states have issued fish consumption

advice and developed their own fish advisory programs.

Although 48 states, the District of Columbia, and the U.S.

Territory of American Samoa have fish consumption advisories

in place, there is variability state-to-state in the scope and

extent of monitoring, in how frequently previously tested

waters are sampled again, in how decisions are made to place

waters under advisory, and in the specific advice that is provided when contamination is found in fish. Because of this variability, it is difficult to draw national conclusions or establish

national trends. However, EPA can and does report on an

annual basis in this Technical Fact Sheet summary information

based on what EPA has compiled from state submissions. 

A consumption advisory may include recommendations to

limit or avoid eating certain fish and water-dependent wildlife

species caught from specific waterbodies or, in some cases,

from specific waterbody types (e.g., all lakes). An advisory may

be issued for the general population, including recreational

and subsistence fishers, or it may be issued specifically for

sensitive subpopulations such as pregnant women, nursing

mothers, and children. A consumption advisory is not a

regulation, but rather a voluntary recommendation issued to

help protect public health.

States typically issue five major types of advisories and bans 

to protect both the general population and specific subpopulations. 

■ No-consumption advisory for the general population –

Issued when levels of chemical contamination in fish or

wildlife pose a health risk to the general public. The general

population is advised to avoid eating certain types of locally

caught fish or wildlife.

■ No-consumption advisory for sensitive subpopulations –

Issued when contaminant levels in fish or wildlife pose a

health risk to sensitive subpopulations (such as children and
■ Chemical contaminants identified in the advisory

■ Geographic location of the waterbody 

■ Lake acreage or river miles under advisory 

■ Population for whom the advisory was issued 

■ Fish tissue residue data for 46 states and the District 

of Columbia

■ State and tribal contact information. 

The web site can generate national, regional, and state maps

that summarize advisory information. Also included on the

web site are the names of each state contact, a phone

number, fax number, and e-mail address. 

Synopsis of 2003 National Listing of Fish

Advisories

In past years, EPA has reported fish advisories based on the

number of advisories in effect; however, this does not provide

an indication of the geographic extent of the advisory. For

example, a waterbody-specific advisory may be issued to

cover a single waterbody (e.g., a 20-acre lake), while a single

statewide lake advisory can represent all lake acres within the

state’s jurisdiction (up to 12,787,200 acres in one state).

Because of the dramatic range in the geographic size of lake

acres and river miles affected by a single advisory, the number

of advisories does not tell the full story of the geographic

extent of waters subject to state advice to limit fish consumption. Thus, EPA is providing information on the total lake acres

and total river miles where advisories are currently in effect. 

2

The EPA 2003 National Listing of Fish Advisories indicates that

states reported that 275 new fish advisories were issued in

2003, bringing the total number of advisories in effect to

3,089 in 2003 (Figure 1). Currently, the 3,089 advisories in

the national listing represent 35% of the nation’s total lake

acreage and 24% of the nation’s total river miles. Approximately 101,818 lakes (14,195,187 lake acres) and 846,310

river miles were under advisory in 2003. The percentages of

lake acres and river miles under advisory in 2003 in each state

are shown in Figure 2. In addition, 100% of the Great Lakes

and their connecting waters are also under advisory (Table 1).

The Great Lakes and their connecting waters are considered

separately from other waters and are not included in the

above calculations of total lake acres or river miles. 

The increase in the lake acres and river miles under advisory 

is due in part to an increase in the number of assessments of

chemical contaminants in fish and water-dependent wildlife

tissues and the states’ increasing use of statewide advisories. 

A statewide advisory is issued to warn the public of the potential for widespread contamination of specific species of fish or

water-dependent wildlife (e.g., turtles or waterfowl) in certain

types of waterbodies (e.g., lakes, rivers, or coastal waters).

Thirty-one states currently have statewide advisories (Table 2,

on page 4). Three states issued statewide advisories in 2003:

Montana and Washington each added statewide mercury

advice for lakes and rivers, and Hawaii added statewide

mercury advice for marine fish.

Note: A statewide 

advisory is issued to 

warn the public of the

potential for widespread contamination

of specific species in

certain types of waterbodies. State advisory

data should not be

used for characterizing

geographic distribution

of chemical contaminants or for making

interstate comparisons.

Total Number of Fish Consumption Advisories – 2003

29

18

16

2

40 10

41

5 1,114

8 135

14 26

30

1

44

22

65 243 81

11

16

16 137

7

20

116

106

VT = 12 19

NH = 9

 MA = 122

CT = 19

NJ = 112

67

66

2003 Total = 3,089

171 RI = 9

6

3

0

12

4

2

26

10 DE = 21

MD = 20

DC = 1

Advisories exist for specific waterbodies only

Statewide lakes only advisory included in count

Statewide rivers only advisory included in count

Statewide rivers and lakes advisory included in count

Statewide coastal advisory included in count

Statewide advisory for marine fish included in count

No advisories for chemical contaminants

4

0

AS = 1 VI = 0

GU = 0 PR = 0

Figure 1
In addition to the Great Lakes, many other Great Waters 

of the United States are currently under fish advisories for a

variety of pollutants. The Great Waters include not only the

Great Lakes but also Lake Champlain (PCBs and mercury), the

Chesapeake Bay, 28 National Estuary Program (NEP) sites, and

26 National Estuarine Research Reserve System (NERRS) sites.

Although the Chesapeake Bay is not under any advisories, 

the Potomac, James, Back, Anacostia, and Piankatank rivers,

which connect to it, are all under advisories. Baltimore Harbor,

which also connects to the Chesapeake Bay, is under advisory

for chlordane and PCB contamination in fish and blue crabs.

At least some portions of 22 of the NEP and 16 of the NERRS

sites are currently under fish consumption advisories.

Fifteen states have issued fish advisories for all of their coastal

waters (Table 2, on page 4). Almost 71% of the coastline of

the United States (excluding Alaska) currently is under

advisory. Based on coastal size estimates from the National

Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 92% of the Atlantic

coast and 100% of the Gulf coast was under advisory in 2003.

The Atlantic coast advisories have been issued for a wide

variety of chemical contaminants, including mercury, PCBs,

dioxins, and cadmium. All of the Gulf coast advisories have

been issued for mercury. No Pacific coast state has issued a

statewide advisory for any of its coastal waters, although

several local areas along the Pacific coast are under advisory

and Hawaii issued a statewide advisory in 2003 for marine fish.

Safe Eating Guidelines

EPA has been encouraging states to issue safe eating guidelines

when providing advisory information. In addition to issuing

3

Figure 2

AS

PR

VI

100.0/

100.0 100.0/100.0 (VT)

100.0/100.0 (NH)

100.0/100.0 (MA)

100.0/100.0 (RI)

100.0/100.0 (CT)

100.0/100.0 (NJ)

2.4/20.0 (DE)

100.0/100.0 (MD)

100.0/

100.0

100.0/

100.0

12.2/

1.4

74.0/11.7

0.0/

1.6

3.9/

5.0

100.0/

100.0

100.0/

3.8

40.8/

100.0

9.1/0.6

13.4/

3.9 <0.1/

4.4 17.4/

19 2.3/

7.3

0.7/

0.3

100.0/

100.0

100.0/

100.0

0.1/

0.0

100.0/

100.0

100.0/

4.6

100.0/100.0

3.6/

0.9

100.0/100.0

12.2/

0.0

11.0/

0.1

19.5/

<0.1

1.2/

<0.1

<0.1/

18.3/ <0.1

<0.1

7.0/

<0.1

2.6/

0.5

100.0/

100.0

<0.1/

0.4

0.0/

0.0

1.4/0.0

<0.1/

0.1

0.0/

<0.1

0.0/

0.0

100.0/

100.0

100.0/100.0 (DC)

0.0/0.0

0.0/0.0

0.0/17

GU 0.0/0.0 0.0/0.0

100.0/

100.0

Percentage of Lake Acres/River Miles

Currently Under Advisory

In 2003, approximately 35% of the nation’s lake acres and 24% of the

nation’s river miles were under fish consumption advisories. 

Great Lakes PCBs Dioxins Mercury Chlordane

Lake Superior ●● ● ●

Lake Michigan ●● ● ●

Lake Huron ●● ● ●

Lake Erie ●● ●

Lake Ontario ● ●

Table 1. Fish Advisories Issued for the Great Lakes

statewide advisories warning the public about chemical contaminants in fish tissue, states are increasingly issuing safe eating

guidelines to inform the public that fish from specific waterbodies or specific species of fish have been tested for chemical

contaminants and have been shown to contain very low levels

of contaminants. By issuing safe eating guidelines, the states

are identifying waters or species for the public that are safe to

consume and promoting enjoyment of recreational fishing. 

In 1993, the first year that the National Listing of Fish Advisories collected data on safe eating guidelines, there were only

20 such guidelines in effect. This number increased very slowly until 2002, when 164 new safe eating guidelines were

issued. This 2002 increase represented almost half of all safe

eating guidelines issued since 1993. In 2003, an additional 47

safe eating guidelines were issued. Table 3 shows the trend in

the issuance of safe eating guidelines since 1993. Currently,

16 states have issued guidelines. The largest numbers of such

waterbody-specific guidelines have been issued by Georgia

(149), South Carolina (72), and Texas (47). Three states have

issued statewide guidelines. In 2001, Alaska issued a statewide

guideline to inform the public that all of Alaska’s fish are safe

to eat without restrictions. In 2002, Wisconsin issued a safe

eating guideline for all lakes statewide for bluegill and other

sunfish, yellow perch, white and black crappie, and bullheads,

while Minnesota issued a similar guideline for all lakes statewide for panfish. However, there are a few waterbody-specific

exceptions to the safe eating guidelines, so consumers are

advised to review waterbody-specific information. 

Currently, 66,578 miles of rivers (1.9%) and 4,529,417 lake

acres (11%) in the continental United States have safe eating

guidelines for at least one fish species. The number of these

guidelines is likely to grow as additional states identify safe

fishing waters or species (sunfish and other panfish) that do

not tend to accumulate chemical contaminants in their tissues

to the same extent as long-lived predatory species (largemouth bass, walleye, northern pike, catfish). These guidelines

will help direct the public toward making more informed

decisions about the waterbodies in which they fish and

healthier choices about the species that they choose to eat.

Bioaccumulative Pollutants

Although there are advisories in the United States for 

40 chemical contaminants, most advisories have involved 

Year Issued New Advisories Cumulative Advisories

1993 20 20

1994 12 32

1995 35 67

1996 10 77

1997 2 79

1998 25 104

1999 44 148

2000 7 155

2001 20 175

2002 164 339

2003 47 386

Table 3. Total Safe Eating Guidelines Issued Since 1993
State Lake Issued River Issued Coastal Waters Issued

Alabama Mercury 1996

Connecticut Mercury 1996 Mercury 1996 PCBs 1993

Dist. of Columbia PCBs 1993 PCBs 1993

Florida Mercury 2002 Mercury 2002 Mercury 1993

Georgia Mercury 2000

Hawaii Mercury* 2003

Illinois Mercury 2002 Mercury 2002

Indiana Mercury 1996

PCBs

Kentucky Mercury 2000 Mercury 2000

Louisiana Mercury 1997

Maine Mercury 1994 Mercury 1994 Dioxins 1994

Mercury

PCBs

Maryland Mercury 2002 Mercury 2002

PCBs PCBs

Organo- Organochlorine chlorine

pesticides pesticides

Massachusetts Mercury 1996 Mercury 1996 PCBs 1994

Mercury

Michigan Mercury 1993

Minnesota Mercury 1999

Mississippi Mercury 1998

Missouri Mercury 2001 Mercury 2001

Montana Mercury 2003 Mercury 2003

New Hampshire Mercury 1995 Mercury 1995 PCBs 1994

New Jersey Mercury 1995 Mercury 1995 PCBs 1993

Cadmium

Dioxins

New York PCBs 1994 PCBs 1994 Cadmium 1995

Chlordane Chlordane Dioxins

Mirex Mirex PCBs

DDT DDT

North Carolina Mercury 2000

North Dakota Mercury 2001 Mercury 2001

Ohio Mercury 1997 Mercury 1997

Pennsylvania Mercury 2001 Mercury 2001

Rhode Island Mercury 2002 Mercury 2002 PCBs 1993

Mercury

South Carolina Mercury 2001

Texas Mercury 1997

Vermont Mercury 1995 Mercury 1995

Washington Mercury 2003 Mercury 2003

Wisconsin Mercury 2000 Mercury 2003

*Hawaii has a statewide advisory for mercury in marine fish.

Table 2. Summary of Statewide Advisories by Waterbody Type and Year Issued

five primary contaminants: mercury, PCBs, chlordane, dioxins,

and DDT. And while 76% of all advisories have been issued at

least in part because of mercury contamination, other chemical contaminants are also likely to be present at many of these

same advisory locations. These chemical contaminants accumulate in the tissues of aquatic organisms at concentrations

many times higher than concentrations in the water. These

chemical contaminants also persist for relatively long periods

in sediments where bottom-dwelling animals can accumulate

them and pass them up the food chain to fish. 

Concentrations of these contaminants in the tissues of aquatic

organisms may increase at each level of the food chain. As a

result, top predators in a food chain, such as largemouth bass

or walleye, may have concentrations of these chemicals in

their tissues that may be a million times higher than the

concentrations in the water. Mercury, PCBs, chlordane,

dioxins, and DDT (and its degradation products, DDE and

DDD) were at least partly responsible for almost 98% of all

fish consumption advisories in effect in 2003.

4

Mercury

Advisories for mercury increased by 222 

in 2003. Forty-five states issued mercury

advisories in 2003. The increase in the

number of mercury advisories in 2003 

can be attributed to the issuance of new

mercury advisories by 22 states. However,

almost 60% of the new advisories (128)

were issued by Minnesota. Indiana issued

17 new mercury advisories, and Louisiana

issued 10. In 2003, the geographic extent

of the states under advisory for mercury

was 13,068,990 lake acres and 766,872

river miles. The increase in acres and river

miles under advisory is a result of the

issuance of statewide mercury advisories by

Montana and Washington in 2003 and the

addition of rivers to Wisconsin’s statewide

advisory. 

Currently, 21 states (Connecticut, Florida,

Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota,

Missouri, Montana, New Hampshire, New

Jersey, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania,

Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, and

Wisconsin) have issued statewide advisories

for mercury in freshwater lakes and/or

rivers. Eleven states (Alabama, Florida,

Georgia, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts,

Mississippi, North Carolina, Rhode Island,

South Carolina, and Texas) have statewide

advisories for mercury in their coastal

waters. Hawaii has a statewide advisory for

mercury in marine fish. There are also two

tribal statewide advisories in effect for

mercury in freshwater and marine fish

(including lobster) by the Micmac tribe of

Maine. 

PCBs

There were 884 advisories in 2003 for

PCBs. Thirty-nine states (including

American Samoa) issued PCB advisories in

2003. Twelve states added new advisories

for PCBs in 2003; however, the increase in

advisories for PCBs is primarily due to new

advisories issued by three states—Indiana,
New Jersey, and Illinois—which account for almost 60% of all

new PCB advisories. There were 2,079,985 lake acres and

133,876 river miles under PCB advisories. Four states (District

of Columbia, Indiana, Maryland, and New York) issued

statewide freshwater (river and/or lake) advisories for PCBs.

Seven other states (Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New

Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, and Rhode Island) issued

PCB advisories for all of their coastal marine waters. 

Chlordane

Many advisories for the pesticide chlordane have been

rescinded in recent years, primarily because all uses of chlordane were banned in the United States in 1988 and the

compound continues to degrade in the environment. There

were 89 chlordane advisories in 2003 covering 847,259 lake

acres and 54,372 river miles under a chlordane advisory in

2003. The changes in 2003 were primarily due to the rescinding of chlordane advisories in New Jersey and Colorado. 

Dioxins

There were 90 advisories for dioxins in 2003. New Jersey and

Florida both added dioxin advisories in 2003. There were

2,909 lake acres and 1,950 river miles under a dioxin advisory.

Although dioxins are one of the five major contaminants that

have resulted in the issuance of health advisories, the geographic extent of the contamination is extremely limited

compared to that for the other four major contaminants. This

is due in part to the limited monitoring of dioxins resulting

from the high cost of chemical analysis. Also, dioxin contamination has been associated primarily with specific locations

near pulp and paper plants using a bleach kraft process, in

addition to other types of chemical manufacturing facilities or

incineration facilities. 

DDT

Although the use of DDT, an organochlorine pesticide, has

been banned since 1975, there were 52 advisories in effect for

DDT (and its degradation products, DDE and DDD) in 2003.

There are currently 865,901 lake acres and 68,793 river miles

under advisory for DDT. California had the greatest number of

DDT advisories active in 2003 (14), followed by Texas and

Delaware with 5 each. During 2003, Arizona and Michigan

issued new advisories for DDT. New York has a statewide

advisory for multiple contaminants, including DDT. 

Other Pollutants

Although the five major pollutants account for almost 98% 

of the total number of advisories, the remaining 2% of all 

fish advisories are caused by a variety of other groups of

chemicals. These include heavy metals (arsenic, cadmium,

chromium, copper, lead, selenium, and zinc) and organochlorine pesticides (aldrin, dieldrin, heptachlor epoxide, kepone,

lindane, mirex, and toxaphene), as well as a myriad of other

chemical compounds, including creosote, polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), hexachlorobenzene, pentachlorophenol, and

vinyl chloride, to name just a few. While these other chemical

contaminants represent only 2% of the total number of

advisories, the extent of the contamination they cause slightly

5

exceeds the lake acres and river miles under advisory for DDT.

In 2003, 1,218,252 lake acres and 90,446 river miles were

under advisories for other pollutants. New advisories in 2003

for these other pollutants were issued by South Carolina

(tributyltin) and Idaho (lead). The majority of lake acres and

river miles under advisory for other chemical contaminants are

the result of a statewide advisory in New York for multiple

contaminants, including mirex, and a regional advisory in

Mississippi for toxaphene.

Wildlife Advisories

In addition to advisories for fish and shellfish, the National

Listing of Fish Advisories web site also contains several waterdependent wildlife advisories. Four states have issued consumption advisories for turtles: Arizona (3), Massachusetts (1),

Minnesota (8), and New York (statewide advisory). One state

(Massachusetts) has an advisory for frogs. New York has a

statewide advisory for waterfowl. Arkansas has an advisory for

wood ducks. Utah has an advisory for American coot and

ducks. Maine issued a statewide advisory for cadmium in

moose liver and kidneys. In 2003, no new advisories were

issued for water-dependent wildlife. 

National Advice Concerning Mercury in Fish

In 2004, the EPA and the Food and Drug Administration 

(FDA) issued advice for women who might become pregnant,

women who are pregnant, nursing mothers, and young

children. The national advice is not included in the statistics

presented in this fact sheet. 

Fish and shellfish are an important part of a healthy diet. Fish

and shellfish contain high-quality protein and other essential

nutrients, are low in saturated fat, and contain omega-3 fatty

acids. A well-balanced diet that includes a variety of fish and

shellfish can contribute to heart health and children’s proper

growth and development. So women and young children in

particular should include fish or shellfish in their diets due to

the many nutritional benefits.

However, nearly all fish and shellfish contain traces of mercury.

For most people, the risk from mercury by eating fish and

shellfish is not a health concern. Yet some fish and shellfish

contain higher levels of mercury that may harm an unborn

baby or young child’s developing nervous system. The risks

from mercury in fish and shellfish depend on the amount of

fish and shellfish eaten and the levels of mercury in the fish

and shellfish. Therefore, the FDA and the EPA are advising

women who may become pregnant, pregnant women,

nursing mothers, and young children to avoid some types of

fish and eat fish and shellfish that are lower in mercury.

By following these three recommendations for selecting and

eating fish or shellfish, women and young children will receive

the benefits of eating fish and shellfish and be confident that

they have reduced their exposure to the harmful effects of

mercury.

■ Do not eat shark, swordfish, king mackerel, or tilefish

because they contain high levels of mercury.
■ Eat up to 12 ounces (2 average meals) a week of a variety 

of fish and shellfish that are lower in mercury.

— Five of the most commonly eaten fish that are low in

mercury are shrimp, canned light tuna, salmon, pollock,

and catfish. 

— Another commonly eaten fish, albacore (“white”) tuna

has more mercury than canned light tuna. Eat up to

6 ounces (one average meal) of albacore tuna per week. 

■ Check local advisories about the safety of fish caught by

family and friends in your local lakes, rivers, and coastal

areas. If no advice is available, eat up to 6 ounces (one

average meal) per week of fish you caught from local

waters, but don’t consume any other fish during that week.

Follow these same recommendations when feeding fish 

and shellfish to your young child, but serve smaller portions.

More information on the joint federal advisory is available 

at www.epa.gov/waterscience/fish. 

For More Information

For more information on specific advisories within a state,

contact the appropriate state agency listed on the National

Listing of Fish Advisories web site at www.epa.gov/

waterscience/fish. This is particularly important for advisories

6

that recommend that consumers restrict their consumption 

of fish from certain waterbodies. State health departments

provide more specific information for restricted-consumption

advisories on the appropriate meal size and meal frequency

(number of meals per week or month) that is considered safe

to eat. 

For more information on how to reduce exposure, consult

EPA’s brochure “What You Need to Know About Mercury in

Fish and Shellfish,” available in several languages on EPA’s fish

advisory web site: www.epa.gov/waterscience/fish.

For more information on the National Fish and Wildlife

Contamination Program, contact:

Jeff Bigler

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

Office of Science and Technology (4305T)

1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW

Washington, DC 20460

Phone 202-566-0389

e-mail bigler.jeff@epa.gov