Also at high risk are people who eat a diet containing large amounts of fish. Advice for preparing and eating meals of sport fish is published annually by the MDH in the Minnesota Fish Consumption Advisory. Fish from lakes typically contain methylmercury. Fish from the major rivers in Minnesota are often contaminated with PCBs as well as methylmercury. The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources collects and analyzes fish for these contaminants.
Advice is specific to the species and size of fish.
While fish from only a relatively small number of waterbodies in Minnesota have been tested for contaminants, the largest and most productive waters in Minnesota have been tested. It is not clear whether data from tested waters are representative of contaminant levels in fish from untested waters nearby. Current research is directed toward determining whether existing data can be used to estimate contaminant levels in fish from untested waters. The table that follows lists, by county, the number of lakes that are listed in the Minnesota Fish Consumption Advisory. Rivers listed in the advisory are not included in this table.