Office of Water
4305
EPA-823-F-97-007
June 1997
Update: Listing of Fish and Wildlife Advisories
Summary
The 1996 update for the database, Listing of Fish and Wildlife Advisories (LFWA), is now available from the U.S. Environmen-
tal Protection Agency (EPA). This database includes all available information describing state-, tribal-, and federally issued fish
consumption advisories in the United States for the 50 States, the District of Columbia, and four U.S. Territories, and has been
expanded to include the 12 Canadian provinces and territories. The database contains information provided to EPA by the
states, tribes, and Canada as of December 1996. This includes advisories issued by several Native American tribes. The number
of advisories in the U.S. rose by 453 in 1996 to a total of 2,193, representing a 26% increase over 1995. The number of
waterbodies under advisory represents 15% of the Nation's total lake acres and 5% of the Nation's total river miles. In addi-
tion, 100% of the Great Lakes waters and their connecting waters and a large portion of the Nation's coastal waters are also
under advisory. The number of advisories in the U.S. increased for four major contaminants (mercury, PCBs, chlordane, and
DDT).
In 1996, the U.S. EPA contacted health officials in Canada in an effort to identify fish consumption advisories in effect.
In Canada, a total of 2,617 advisories were in effect in 1996. All of the Canadian advisories resulted from contamination
from five pollutants: mercury, PCBs, dioxin/furans, toxaphene, and mirex. Ninety-six percent of all the advisories resulted from
mercury contamination in fish tissues. In addition, 87% of the advisories were issued by the provinces of Ontario and Quebec.
Background
The states and the four U.S. Territories and Native
American tribes (hereafter referred to as states) have
primary responsibility for protecting their residents
from the health risks of consuming contaminated
noncommercially caught fish and wildlife. They do this
by issuing consumption advisories for the general
population, including recreational and subsistence
fishers, as well as for sensitive subpopulations (such as
pregnant women, nursing mothers, and children).
These advisories inform the public that high concentra-
tions of chemical contaminants (e.g., mercury and
dioxins) have been found in local fish and wildlife. The
advisories include recommendations to limit or avoid
consumption of certain fish and wildlife species 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.
States typically issue five major types of advisories and
bans to protect both the general population and specific
subpopulations (usually pregnant women, nursing
mothers, and young children). When levels of chemical
contamination pose a health risk to the general public,
states may issue a no consumption advisory for the
general population (NCCP). When contaminant levels
pose a health risk to sensitive subpopulations, states may
issue a no consumption advisory for the sensitive
subpopulation (NCSP). In waterbodies where chemical
contamination is less severe, states may issue an
advisory recommending that either the general popula-
tion (RCP) or a sensitive subpopulation (RSP) restrict
their consumption of specific species for which the
advisory is issued. The fifth type of state-issued advisory
is the commercial fishing ban (CFB), which prohibits the
commercial harvest and sale of fish, shellfish, and/or
wildlife species from a designated waterbody and, by
inference, the consumption of all species identified in
the fishing ban from that waterbody. As shown in
Table 1, all types of advisories increased in number from
1993 to 1996.
Table 1. U.S. Advisories Issued from 1993 to 1996 by Type
1993	1994	1995	1996
No Consumption - General Population	503	462	463	563
No Consumption - Sensitive Subpopulation	555	720	778	1,022
Restricted Consumption - General Population	993	1,182	1,372	1,763
Restricted Consumption - Sensitive Subpopulation	689	900	1,042	1,370
Commercial Fishing Ban	30	30	55	50

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Advisories in Effect
The database includes information on
¦	Species and size range of fish and/or wildlife
¦	Chemical contaminants identified in the advisory
¦	Geographic location of each advisory (including
landmarks, river miles, or latitude and longitude
coordinates of the affected waterbody)
¦	Lake acreage or river miles under advisory
¦	Date the advisory was issued
¦	Percentage of waters assessed by states for fish
advisories.
The 1994,1995, and the new 1996 versions of the
LFWA database can generate national, regional, and
state maps that illustrate any combination of these
advisory parameters. In addition, the 1996 database
can provide information on the percentage of
waterbodies in each state that is currently under an
advisory and the percentage of waters assessed. The
name of each state contact, a phone number, and FAX
number are also provided so that users can obtain
additional information concerning specific advisories.
Comparable advisory data and contacts for 1996 are
provided for each Canadian province or territory.
Advisory Trends
The number of waterbodies in the U.S. under advisory
reported in 1996 (2,193) represents a 26% increase
from the number reported in 1995 (1,740 advisories)
and a 72% increase from the number of advisories
issued since 1993 (1,278 advisories). The increase in
advisories issued by the states generally reflects an
increase in the number of assessments of the levels of
chemical contaminants in fish and wildlife tissues. These
additional assessments were conducted as a result of the
increased awareness of health risks associated with the
Figure 1
Number of Fish Advisories Issued by Each State in 1996
(change in number from 1995)
(+20)
O
CU 0 (0)
Note:
PR 0 (0)
•O
C>VI
The numbers depicted here do not necessarily reflect the geographic extent
of chemical contamination in each state nor the extent of a state's monitoring
efforts. The methods used to establish fish advisories vary among the states.
An asterisk (*) denotes states that have issued statewide advisories for
particular pollutants or types of waterbodies.
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consumption of chemically contaminated fish and
wildlife. Figure 1 shows the number of advisories
currently in effect for each state and the increase or
decrease in the number of advisories since 1995. The
number of advisories decreases if states determine that
monitored concentrations of chemical contaminants in
fish or wildlife tissues have decreased and no longer
pose a risk to human health.
Bioaccumuiative Pollutants
Although advisories in the U.S. have been issued for a
total of 45 chemical contaminants, most advisories
issued have involved five primary contaminants. These
chemical contaminants are biologically accumulated in
the tissues of aquatic organisms at concentrations many
times higher than concentrations in the water. In
addition, these chemical contaminants persist in sedi-
ments for relatively long periods where they can be
accumulated by bottom-dwelling animals and passed
up the food chain to fish. Concentrations of these
contaminants in the tissues of aquatic organisms may
be increased at each successive level of the food chain.
As a result, top predators in a food chain, such as trout,
salmon, or walleye, may have concentrations of these
chemicals in their fatty tissues that can be a million times
higher than the concentrations in water. Mercury, PCBs,
chlordane, dioxins, and DDT (and its degradation
products DDE and DDD) were responsible for almost
95% of all fish consumption advisories in effect in 1996.
this pattern was also seen in the 1993, 1994, and 1995
databases (see Figure 2).
Mercury
Advisories for mercury increased 28% from 1995 to
1996 (1,308 to 1,675) and increased 86% from 1993 to
1996 (899 to 1,675). The number of states that have
issued mercury advisories also has risen steadily from
Figure 2
Trends in Number of Advisories
Issued for Various Pollutants
Others
0 200 400 600 800 1,000 1,200 1,400 1,600 1,800
Number of Advisories
27 to 34 to 35 to 38 in 1993, 1994, 1995, and 1996,
respectively. The rise in the number of mercury adviso-
ries in 1996 can be attributed primarily to issuance of
new mercury advisories in 12 states. The majority (89%)
of these new advisories, however, were issued in four
states: Wisconsin (153), including 99 by the Chippewa
Tribes, Indiana (108), Minnesota (50), and Massachu-
setts (17).
It should also be noted that nine states (Connecticut,
Florida, Indiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, New
Hampshire, New Jersey, and Vermont) have issued
statewide advisories for mercury in certain waterbody
types (e.g., lakes). To date, 90% of the 1,675 mercury
advisories in effect have been issued by the following
10 states: Minnesota (693), Wisconsin (389), Indiana
(116), Florida (94), Michigan (41), North Dakota (35),
Massachusetts (34), New jersey (30), New Mexico (26),
South Carolina (24), and Georgia (23).
PCBs
Similarly, advisories for PCBs increased 41 % from 1995
to 1996 (438 to 616) and increased 93% from 1993 to
1996 (319 to 616). The number of states that have
issued PCB advisories increased only slightly from 31 to
35 states from 1993 to 1994 and then declined to 34
states in 1995. The rise in the number of advisories for
PCBs in 1996 (178) can be attributed to the issuance of
new advisories by nine states. The majority (87%) of
these 178 new advisories, however, were issued by three
states: Indiana (114), Wisconsin (28), and Minnesota
(12). To date, 84% of the 616 PCB advisories have been
issued by 11 states: Indiana (134), Minnesota (125),
Michigan (52), Wisconsin (52), New York (49), Georgia
(21), Nebraska (19), Ohio (21), Pennsylvania (18),
Massachusetts (17), and New Jersey (12). Seven states
(Connecticut, District of Columbia, Indiana, Missouri,
New Jersey, New York, and Rhode Island) have issued
statewide advisories for PCBs, including three for marine
waters. Only two of these statewide PCB advisories
(District of Columbia and Rhode Island) are for PCBs
only, however.
Other Pollutants
The total number of advisories for chlordane and DDT
(and its degradation products) increased negligibly
<1 % and 3% from 1995 to 1996, respectively. The total
number of advisories for dioxins was 54 in 1993, then
rose to 63 in 1994, held steady at 63 in 1995, and
declined to 60 advisories in 1996. Dioxins are one of
several chemical contaminants for which advisories have
been rescinded by some states, in part because many
pulp and paper mills have changed their processes.
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Wildlife Advisories
In addition to advisories for fish and shellfish, the
database also contains several wildlife advisories. Four
states have issued consumption advisories for turtles:
Arizona (3), Massachusetts (1), Minnesota (5), and New
York (statewide advisory). One state (Massachusetts) has
an advisory for frogs, New York has a statewide advisory
for waterfowl (mergansers), and Arkansas recently issued
an advisory for woodducks. Maine issued a statewide
advisory for moose liver and kidneys due to cadmium
levels.
1996 Advisory Listing
The 1996 database lists 2,193 advisories in 47 states,
the District of Columbia, and the U.S. Territory of
American Samoa. Some of these advisories represent
statewide advisories for certain types of waterbodies
(e.g., lakes). An advisory may represent one waterbody
or one type of waterbody within a state's jurisdiction.
Statewide advisories are counted as one advisory. The
database counts one advisory for each waterbody name
or type of waterbody regardless of the number of fish or
wildlife species that are affected or the number of
chemical contaminants detected at concentrations of
human health concern. Thirteen states (Florida, Con-
necticut, Indiana, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hamp-
shire, New Jersey, New York, Michigan, Missouri, Rhode
Island, Vermont, and the District of Columbia) currently
have statewide advisories in effect. A statewide advisory
is issued to warn the public of the potential for wide-
spread contamination of certain species offish in certain
Figure 3
Percentage of Lake Acres
Currently Under Advisory
OS / I ~~
y 38.1
2.0 / \
i /
I —"r——/ 00
( NA /	)
» \	/ <0'1 / 19.4
Dcu 0 Cj^o
Eleven states have 100% of their lake acres under fish adviso-
ries (these include some states with statewide advisories),
another 8 states have 10% to 50% of their lake acres under
advisories, 24 states have <10% of their lake acres under
advisories, and 9 states have no lake acres under advisories.
NA = Not available, lake acreage under advisories not
known.
types of waterbodies (e.g., lakes or coastal marine
waters). In such a case, the state may have found a level
of contamination of a specific pollutant in a particular
fish species over a relatively wide geographic area that
warrants advising the public of the situation.
The 13 statewide advisories and 2,193 specifically
named waterbodies represent approximately 15% of the
Nation's total lake acreage and 5% of the Nation's total
river miles. In addition, 100% of the Great Lakes waters
and their connecting waters and a large portion of the
Nation's coastal waters are also under advisory. The
Great Lakes waters are considered separately from other
lakes, and their connecting waters are considered
separately from other river miles. The percentages of
lake acres and river miles in each state that are currently
under a fish advisory are shown in Figures 3 and 4,
respectively.
Summary of Canadian Advisories
Beginning in 1996, the U.S. EPA contacted health and
environmental officials in the 12 Canadian provinces
and territories to obtain narrative and geographic
information systems (GIS) information on advisories
throughout Canada. The number of Canadian advisories
in effect in 1996 was 2,617. This includes one province-
wide advisory for mercury for Nova Scotia. Figure 6
shows the number of waterbodies under advisory for
each of the Canadian provinces. Ontario and Quebec
reported the highest number of advisories, 1,552 and
712, respectively. Based on all the advisories reported,
87% were issued for waterbodies in these two
Figure 4
Percentage of River Miles
Currently Under Advisory
Eight states have 100% of their river miles under fish
advisories (these include some states with statewide adviso-
ries), 34 states have <10% of their river miles under advisories,
and 11 states have no river miles under advisories.
NA = Not available, river miles under advisories not
known.
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provinces. With respect to chemical contaminants,
advisories in Canada have been issued for a total of five
bioaccumulative chemical contaminants including
mercury, PCBs, dioxins/furans, toxaphene, and mirex.
More than 96% of all Canadian advisories have been
issued for mercury.
Database Use and Access
The database was developed by EPA to help federal,
state, local government agencies, and Native American
tribes assess the potential for human health risks asso-
ciated with consumption of chemical contaminants in
noncommercially caught fish and wildlife. The data
contained in this database may also be used by the
general public to make informed decisions about the
waterbodies in which they choose to fish or harvest
wildlife; the frequency with which they fish these
waterbodies; the species, size, and number of fish they
collect; and the frequency with which they consume
fish from specific waterbodies.
Figure 5
Number of Fish Advisories in Effect
in Canada in 1996
advisories for mercury.
The 1996 version of the Listing of Fish and Wildlife
Advisories is PC-based and is available to the public free
of charge on both 3.5-inch diskettes (EPA document
number EPA-823-C-97-004) and CD-ROM (EPA docu-
ment number EPA-823-C-97-005). For copies of the
diskettes or CD-ROM, contact
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
National Center for Environmental
Publications and Information
11029 Kenwood Road
Cincinnati, Ohio 45242
(513-489-8190).
EPA will make this 1996 update of the LFWA database
available for downloading from the Internet through the
following URL:
http:// www.epa.gov/OST
In addition, the LFWA database is available for on-line
viewing at the following URL:
http://www.epa.gov/surf/surf_search.html
For further information on specific advisories within a
particular state, contact the appropriate state agency
contact given in the database. For further information
on Canadian advisories, contact the appropriate provin-
cial contact given in the database.
For more information concerning the National Fish
Contamination Program, contact:
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Office of Science and Technology
401 M Street SW
Washington, DC 20460
U.S. EPA contact: Jeffrey Bigler
Phone (202-260-1305) FAX (202-260-9830).
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