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Technical Information
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Fish advisories are primarily based on information about contaminant levels in fish and game. State and local advisory programs collect fish samples each year from different water bodies, analyzing these fish for various contaminants. Sampling focuses on water bodies with known or suspected contamination, water bodies susceptible to mercury contamination, popular fishing waters and waters where trends in fish contamination are being monitored.
State and local advisory agencies often compare testing data to federal marketplace standards (when available) for a contaminant and considers other factors such as potential human exposures and health risks; location, type and number of samples, etc.
The information below may be of use to state and local fish advisory agencies.
National Fish Forum
The National Forum on Contaminants in Fish is an annual event held to bring together public health and environmental professionals from states, tribes, and other interested groups to discuss the many issues related to contaminants in fish. The Forum is open to the public.
National Guidance
Guidance for Assessing Chemical Contaminant Data for Use In Fish Advisories to help state, local, regional, and tribal environmental health officials who are responsible for developing and managing fish consumption advisories.
Guidance for Conducting Fish and Wildlife Consumption Surveys (PDF) (2.3 MB) Design a survey to obtain consumption rate information.
Estimated Per Capita Fish Consumption in the United States (PDF) (EPA 821-C-02-003; August 2002; 3.3 MB) This report displays daily average per capita fish consumption estimates.
Reports and Chemical Fact Sheets
- Recommended Study Design for a Survey to Evaluate the Effectiveness of Mississippi Delta Fish Advisories provides a survey instrument and recommended methodology for assessing the awareness and effectiveness of the Mississippi Delta Fish Consumption Advisory issued by the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality in 2001.
- Chemical-specific Fact Sheets
Information on PCBs, Toxaphene, Mercury, and Polychlorinated Dibenzo-p-dioxins - Exposure to Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs)
Public Health Implications of Exposure to PCBs - Database: National Survey
Survey of Mercury Concentrations in Fish (1990-1995) - Mean Tissue Mercury Concentrations in Non-commercial Fish (PDF) (18 K)
This graph shows measured levels of mercury in a variety of fish species commonly caught during recreational and subsistence fishing activity.
Other Links of Note
EPA's Office of Water and the Food and Drug Administration, Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (CFSAN) finalized a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to enhance collaboration between FDA and EPA (PDF) (3 pp., 557K, About PDF) regarding environmental contaminants in fish and shellfish and the safety of fish and shellfish for U.S. consumers (June 2005).
National Fish Forum, an annual event bringing together public health and environmental professionals from states, tribes, and other interested groups to discuss the many issues related to contaminants in fish.
Fish Tissue Human Health Water Quality Criterion for Methylmercury
The criterion is a concentration of methylmercury in fish that is expected to be without appreciable risk to human health. States and tribes may use the criterion as the basis for establishing water quality standards.
