Document ID: EPA-HQ-OW-2003-0074-0375
Agency: epa
Document Type: Supporting & Related Material
Title: 
Posted Date: 2003-12-24T05:00Z

National
Listing
of
Fish
and
Wildlife
Advisories
Purpose:
Designed
to
help
find
areas
where
fish
are
low
in
chemical
pollutants
Chemicals:
Mercury,
PCBs,
chlordane,
dioxins,
and
DDT
responsible
for
96%
of
all
fish
consumption
advisories
Sample
Location:
The
states,
territories,
and
Native
American
tribes
(
hereafter
referred
to
as
states)
have
primary
responsibility
for
protecting
residents
from
the
health
risks
of
eating
contaminated
fish
and
wildlife.
If
high
concentrations
of
chemicals,
such
as
mercury
or
PCBs,
are
found
in
local
fish
and
wildlife,
then
a
state
may
issue
a
consumption
advisory
for
the
general
population,
including
recreational
and
subsistence
fishers,
as
well
as
for
sensitive
subpopulations
(
such
as
pregnant
women,
nursing
mothers,
and
children).
A
consumption
advisory
may
include
recommendations
to
limit
or
avoid
eating
certain
fish
and
wildlife
species
caught
from
specific
waterbodies
or,
in
some
cases,
from
specific
waterbody
types
(
e.
g.,
all
lakes).
Similarly,
in
Canada,
the
provinces
and
territories
have
primary
responsibility
for
issuing
fish
consumption
advisories
for
their
residents.

Sample
Design:
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
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,
shellfish,
and/
or
wildlife
species
from
a
designated
waterbody.

In
addition
to
the
five
major
types
of
advisories,
states
are
increasingly
issuing
notices
of
no
restriction
or
statewide
advisories.
A
No
Restriction
advisory
is
issued
to
inform
the
public
that
fish
from
specific
waterbodies
have
been
tested
for
chemical
contaminants,
and
the
results
have
shown
that
specificspecies
of
fish
from
these
waters
contain
very
low
levels
and
are
thus
safe
to
eat
without
consumption
restrictions.
In
contrast,
a
Statewide
advisory
is
issued
to
warn
the
public
of
the
potential
human
health
risks
from
widespread
chemical
contamination
of
certain
fish
species
or
of
species
from
certain
types
of
waterbodies
(
e.
g.,
lakes,
rivers,
and/
or
coastal
waters)
within
the
state.
It
should
be
noted
that
an
advisory
for
each
waterbody
name
or
type
of
waterbody
may
be
listed
as
one
advisory
regardless
of
the
number
of
fish
or
wildlife
species
affected
or
the
number
of
chemical
contaminants
detected.

Study
Duration:

Results:
Although
the
total
number
of
advisories
decreased
from
2,838
in
2000
to
2,618
in
2001,
the
number
of
lake
acres
and
river
miles
under
advisory
continued
to
increase
as
they
have
since
1993.
The
decrease
in
the
total
number
of
advisories
is
largely
due
to
the
removal
of
advisories
in
Wisconsin
and
North
Dakota.
Both
states
recently
issued
statewide
advice,
prompting
the
removal
of
several
hundred
waterbody­
specific
advisories
that
are
now
covered
under
a
single
statewide
advisory
in
each
jurisdiction.
The
2%
increase
in
lake
acres
and
3.5%
increase
in
river
miles
under
advisory
primarily
resulted
from
issuance
of
statewide
mercury
advisories
for
all
lakes
and
rivers
by
four
states
(
Maryland,
Missouri,
North
Dakota,
and
Pennsylvania)
in
2001.
Alaska
also
issued
statewide
advice
to
inform
the
public
that
fish
caught
in
Alaska
are
safe
for
all
people
to
eat
with
no
restrictions.
Although
the
number
of
advisories
decreased,
the
size
of
waters
under
advisory
(
excluding
the
size
of
No
Restriction
advisories)
increased
substantially
from
2000
to
2001.
The
number
of
lakes
acres
under
advisory
increased
from
26%
in
2000
to
almost
28%
in
2001(
11,277,276
acres),
a
total
of
79,119
individual
lakes,
and
the
number
of
river
miles
under
advisory
increased
from
10.5%
in
2000
to14%
in
2001
(
a
total
of
485,205
river
miles).
In
addition,
100%
of
the
Great
Lakes
and
their
connecting
waters
and
71%
of
all
coastal
waters
of
the
contiguous
48
states
were
under
advisory
in
2001.

Advisories
Web
Site
The
2001
NFLWA
web
site
lists
2,618
advisories
in
49
states,
the
District
of
Columbia,
and
the
U.
S.
Territory
of
American
Samoa.
The
web
site
includes:
Information
on
species
and
size
of
fish
or
wildlife
under
advisory
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
45
states
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
and
tribal
contact,
a
phone
number,
fax
number,
and
e­
mail
address.
Comparable
advisory
information
(
excluding
tissue
residue
data)
and
contact
information
for
1997
are
provided
for
each
Canadian
province
or
territory.
Web
Site:
http://
www.
epa.
gov/
waterscience/
fish/
advisories/
factsheet.
pdf
Contact:
Jeff
Bigler
(
202)
566­
0400
Short­
term
Follow
up:
Cross­
reference
potential
categories
with
Fish
Advisories
Listing
for
2001
Long­
term
Follow
up:
Follow
up
on
Fish
Advisories
Listings
in
future
years