Both Vermont and New York have issued advisories about the safety of eating certain fish, including lake trout and walleye because of mercury, PCBs and other toxins. High concentrations of these contaminants can cause birth defects, cancer or other illnesses. These contaminants, which are found in Lake sediments and in animal or plant life, are of concern because of their tendency to bioaccumulate in some fish species. Bioaccumulation is the retention and buildup of contaminants in an animal over time. The Federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has set "action levels" or tolerances for contaminants. If fish tissue analysis indicates that action levels are exceeded, an advisory for eating fish is established by state health departments.

Women of childbearing age, infants, and children under 15 are advised to not eat any fish from Lake Champlain. For all other individuals, the general health advisory for sportfish is to eat no more than one meal (one-half pound) per week of fish taken from the state's freshwaters.

Specific Lake Champlain advisory: walleye larger than 19 inches and lake trout larger than 25 inches should not be eaten more than one meal/month.

Specific Lake Champlain advisory for fish caught from Cumberland Bay: consumption of American eel and yellow perch from Cumberland Bay should be limited to no more than one meal per month. No brown bullhead should be eaten from Cumberland Bay. (This advisory in in effect for PCBs. Although PCBs levels have dropped in the sediments since the Cumberland Bay dredging in 2000, health officials are keeping the advisories in place pending further testing of fish tissue for PCBs.)

• NY Fish Eating Advisories for ALL NY Waters (2007-2008)

Women of child-bearing age and children age 6 and under are advised to not eat any walleye, and limit consumption of lake trout, smallmouth bass, chain pickerel, and American eel to one meal (8 oz.) per month. No more than two meals/month are advised for largemouth bass, northern pike and yellow perch larger than 10 inches. No more than three-four meals/month are advised for brook trout, brown trout, rainbow trout, and yellow perch (smaller than 10 inches). Brown bullhead and pumpkinseed should be limited to five meals/month. Consumption of all other fish caught should be limited to two-three meals per month. All other individuals are advised to eat no more than one meal per month of walleye, three meals per month of lake trout, smallmouth bass, chain pickerel, and American eel, and six meals per month of largemouth bass and northern pike. Consumption of all other fish caught should be limited to nine meals per month.

Specific Lake Champlain advisory: lake trout larger than 25 inches. Women of childbearing age and children under 15 should not eat any lake trout of this size from Lake Champlain. All other individuals should limit their consumption of lake trout larger 25 inches caught in Lake Champlain to one meal per month.

• VT Fish Eating Advisories for ALL VT Waters, 2007 (VT Department of Health)

Quebec's fish advisories are based on the species and size of fish: small, medium and large. For Missisquoi Bay, advisories are in place for the following species: largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, brown bullhead, white perch, walleye, northern pike, white sucker, redhorse, and yellow perch. Most of these species and sizes are restricted to eight meals/month (1 meal = 8oz.), with an exception for large walleye and redhorse, which are restricted to four meals/month. For more details and specific sizes for each fish, visit the links below.

• Guide de consommation du poisson de pêche sportive en eau douce: Baie Missisquoi, Lac Champlain (Quebec Ministry of Sustainable Development, Environment and Parks, French)
• Guide de consommation du poisson de pêche sportive en eau douce / Freshwater Fish Consumption Guide for Quebec (Quebec Ministry of Sustainable Development, Environment and Parks, French)

• National Fish Advisory Listing - US EPA