X-/EPA
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Office of Water
4305
EPA-823-F-016
September 2000
Fact Sheet
Update: National Listing of Fish and Wildlife Advisories
Summary
The 1999 National Listing of Fish and Wildlife Advisories is now available from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA),
States, tribes, and territories report that the number offish consumption advisories issued in 1999 rose by 145, a 6% increase over
1998. The total number of advisories in the United States increased for four major contaminants—mercury, PCBs, dioxins, and
DDT—but decreased for chlordane. This is the second year in which the number of advisories issued for chlordane has declined. The
increase in advisories generally reflects an increase in the number of assessments performed and the improved quality of monitoring
and data collection methods. The number of acres of lakes under advisory increased from 15.8% in 1998 to 20.4% in 1999, a total
of 52,800 lakes, while the number of river miles under advisory remained the same at 6.8%. The survey showed that 100% of the
Great Lakes and their connecting waters and 58% of the coastal waterways were under advisory in 1999.
The national listing is available on the Internet at: http://www.epa.gov/waterscience/fish/listing.html
Background
The states, territories, and Native American tribes (hereafter
referred to as states) have primary responsibility for protect-
ing 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.
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 pregnant
women and children). 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 sub-
populations - 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.
As shown in Table 1, advisories of all types increased in
number from 1993 to 1999.
Table 1. U.S. Advisories Issued from 1993 to 1999 by Type
No Consumption - General Population
No Consumption - Sensitive Subpopulation
Restricted Consumption - General Population
Restricted Consumption - Sensitive Subpopulation
Commercial Fishing Ban
1993
503
555
993
689
30
1994
462
720
1,182
900
30
1995
463
778
1,372
1,042
55
1996
563
1,022
1,763
1,370
50
1997
545
1,119
1,843
1,450
52
1998
532
1,211
2,062
1,595
50
1999
570
1,285
2,213
1,630
50
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1999 National Listing of Fish and Wildlife
Advisories Web Site
The 1999 National Listing of Fish and Wildlife Advisories
web site lists 2,651 advisories in 47 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; contaminants identified in the
advisory; geographic location; lake acreage or river miles
under advisory; population for whom the advisory was
issued; fish tissue residue data; and state and tribal contact
information. Some of the advisories represent statewide
advisories for certain types of waterbodies (e.g., lakes,
rivers, and/or coastal waters). An advisory may represent
one waterbody or one type of waterbody within a state's
jurisdiction. Statewide advisories are counted as one advi-
sory. 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.
The web site provides generate national, regional, and
state maps that summarize advisory information. A new
feature added to the web site this year is access to fish
tissue residue data for those waterbodies under advisory in
16 states. Also included on the web site are the names of
each state and tribal contact, a phone number, FAX num-
ber, and e-mail address. Comparable advisory information
(excluding tissue residue data) and contact information for
1997 are provided for each Canadian province or territory.
Advisory Trends
The number of advisories in the United States reported in
1999 (2,651) represents a 6% increase from the number
reported in 1998 (2,506) and a 109% increase from the
number of advisories issued since 1993 (1,266 advisories).
Figure 1 shows the number of advisories currently in effect
for each state and the number of new advisories issued
since 1998. 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 eating chemically contaminated fish and wildlife.
Some of the increase in advisory numbers, however, may
be due to the increasing use of EPA risk assessment proce-
dures in setting advisories rather than Food and Drug
Figure 1
Total Number of Fish Consumption Advisories - 1999
(Change from 1998)
NH = 5(0)
MA= 107(+26)
Rl = 2(0)
CT= 13(+1)
NJ = 48(0)
DE = 20(+6)
MD = 4(+1)
DC= 1(0) a
D Advisories exist for specific waterbodies only
AS = 1 (0) D VI = 0 (0) D 0 Statewide lakes only advisory included in count
GU = 0 (0) D PR = 0 (0) n O Statewide rivers only advisory included in count
D Statewide rivers and lakes advisory included in count
• Statewide coastal advisory included in count
D No advisories
1999 Total = 2,651
1998 Total = 2,506
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Administration (FDA) action levels developed for commer-
cial fisheries.
A statewide advisory is issued to warn the public of the
potential for widespread contamination of specific species
of fish or wildlife (e.g., moose or waterfowl) in certain types
of waterbodies (e.g., lakes, rivers and streams, or coastal
waters). Nineteen states (Alabama, Connecticut, District of
Columbia, Florida, Indiana, Louisiana, Maine, Massachu-
setts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, New Hampshire,
New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Rhode Island,
Texas, and Vermont) currently have statewide advisories in
effect (see Table 2). Minnesota added a statewide mercury
advisory for all untested lakes in 1999.
The 2,651 advisories in the national listing represent
approximately 20.4% of the Nation's total lake acreage
and 6.8% of the Nation's total river miles. Approximately
52,800 lakes and 238,000 miles of river are under advisory.
In addition, 100% of the Great Lakes waters and their
connecting waters are also under advisory (see Table 3).
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 currently under a fish
advisory are shown in Figures 2 and 3, respectively.
Table 2. Summary of Statewide Advisories by Waterbody Type
State
Alabama
Connecticut
Dist. of Columbia
Florida
Indiana
Louisiana
Maine
Massachusetts
Michigan
Minnesota
Mississippi
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New York
North Carolina
Ohio
Rhode Island
Texas
Vermont
Lake
Mercury
PCBs
Mercury
Mercury
Mercury
Mercury
Mercury
Mercury
PCBs
Chlordane
Mi rex
DDT
Mercury
Mercury
Mercury
River
Mercury
PCBs
Mercury
PCBs
Mercury
Mercury
Mercury
Mercury
PCBs
Chlordane
Mi rex
DDT
Mercury
Mercury
Mercury
Coastal Waters
Mercury
PCBs
Mercury
Mercury
Dioxins
Mercury
PCBs
PCBs
Mercury
PCBs
PCBs
Cadmium
Dioxins
Cadmium
Dioxins
PCBs
Mercury
Table 3. Fish Advisories Issued for the Great Lakes
Great Lakes
Lake Superior
Lake Michigan
Lake Huron
PCBs
*
*
*
Dioxins
*
*
*
Mercury
*
*
Chlordane
*
*
*
Lake Erie * *
Lake Ontario * *
In addition to the Great Lakes, many other Great Waters
of the United States are currently under fish consumption
advisories for various pollutants. The Great Waters include
not only the Great Lakes but also Lake Champlain (which is
under advisories for PCBs and mercury), the Chesapeake
Bay, 20 National Estuary Program (NEP) sites, and 11
National Estuarine Research Reserve System (NERRS) sites
(see Table 4). Although the Chesapeake Bay itself is not
under any advisories, the Potomac, James, Black, and
Anacostia rivers, which connect to the Chesapeake, are all
under advisories. All of these rivers, with the exception of
the James River (which is under advisory for kepone), are
under chlordane advisories. The Anacostia River is also
listed for PCBs, and the Potomac River is listed for PCBs
and dioxins in addition to chlordane. Baltimore Harbor,
which also connects to the Chesapeake, is under advisory
for chlordane contamination in fish tissue.
A number of the major estuaries listed in the NEP and/or
designated as NERRS sites are under fish and/or shellfish
advisories for a range of chemical contaminants (see Table
4). Fifty-nine percent of the total number of NEP, NERRS,
and combined sites are under fish consumption advisories.
There are 20 sites that have no current fish consumption
advisories.
Figure 2.
Percentage of Lake Acres
Currently Under Advisory
OGU o.o
Twelve states have 100% of their lake acres under fish advisories (these
include states with statewide advisories), another 7 states have 10% to
50% of their lake acres under advisories, 20 states have <10%
of their lake acres under advisories, and 16 states have no lake acres
under advisories.
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Figure 3.
Percentage of River Miles
Currently Under Advisory
^1000 (MA)
Eleven states have 100% of their river miles under fish advisories (these
include states with statewide advisories), 30 states have <10% of their
river miles under advisories, and 14 states have no river miles under
advisories.
Several states have issued fish advisories for all of their
coastal waters. Using coastal mileages calculated by the
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, an esti-
mated 58.9% of the coastline of the contiguous 48 states
currently is under advisory. This includes 61.5% of the
Atlantic Coast and 100% of the Gulf Coast. No Pacific
Coast state has issued a statewide advisory for any of its
coastal waters although several local areas along the Pacific
Coast are under advisory. The Atlantic coastal advisories
have been issued for a wide variety of chemical contami-
nants including mercury, PCBs, dioxins, and cadmium,
while all of the Gulf Coast advisories have been issued for
mercury.
Bioaccumulative Pollutants
Although advisories in the United States exist for a total
of 38 chemical contaminants, most advisories issued have
involved five primary contaminants: mercury, PCBs, dioxin,
DDT, and chlordane. These chemical contaminants
Table 4. Fish Consumption Advisories Active for NEP and NERRS Sites - 1999
Waterbody
Casco Bay, ME *
Wells, ME #
Great Bay, NH #
Great Bay, Little Bay,
and Hampton Harbor, NH *
Massachusetts Bay, MA *
Buzzards Bay, MA *
Waquoit Bay, MA #
Narragansett, Rl * #
Long Island Sound, NY/CT *
Peconic Bay, NY *
Hudson River, NY #
New York/New Jersey Harbor *
Barnegat Bay, NJ *
Jacques Cousteau-Great Bay
and Mullica River, NJ #
Delaware Estuary, DE/NJ/PA * #
Albemarle-Pamlico Sounds, NC *
Ashepoo-Combahee-
Edisto Basin, SC #
Indian River Lagoon, FL *
Charlotte Harbor, FL *
Rookery Bay, Fl #
Sarasota Bay, FL *
Tampa Bay, FL *
Apalachicola Bay, FL #
Mobile Bay, AL *
Weeks Bay, AL #
Galveston Bay, TX *
Puget Sound, WA *
Columbia River, OR/WA *
San Francisco Bay, CA *
PCBs
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
Dioxins
*
*
*
*
*
Mercury
*
*
*
*
*
Cadmium
Chlordane
*2
*
*
*
*
*
Others
•1>4
*3
•"
*5
1 Mirex.
2 For waterfowl.
3Specific embayments of Puget Sound
are listed for the following pollutants;
creosote, pentachlorophenol, volatile
organic compounds (VOCs), tetrachloro-
ethylene, arsenic, metals (unspecified),
vinyl chloride, polyaromatic hydrocarbons
(PAHs), polynuclear aromatics, and
pesticides (unspecified).
4 DDT.
5 DDT, dieldrin, other unspecified
pesticides.
* NEP site.
#NERRS site.
Source: EPA 1999 National Listing of Fish
and Wildlife Advisories (NLFWA)
Database (Advisories current through
December 1999).
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accumulate in the tissues of aquatic organisms at concen-
trations many times higher than concentrations in the
water. In addition, these chemical contaminants persist for
relatively long periods in sediments 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 largemouth bass or walleye, may have con-
centrations of these chemicals in their tissues that can be a
million times higher than the concentrations in the water.
Mercury, PCBs, chlordane, dioxins, and DDT (and its
degradation products, DDE and ODD) were at least partly
responsible for 99% of all fish consumption advisories in
effect in 1999. (See Figure 4.)
Figure 4
Trends in Number of Advisories
Issued for Various Pollutants
• 1999
• 1998
• 1997
D1996
D1995
D1994
D1993
200 400 600
800 1,000 1,200 1,400 1,600 1,800 2,000 2,200
Number of Advisories
Mercury
Advisories for mercury increased 7% from 1998 to 1999
(1,931 to 2,073) and increased 130% from 1993 to 1999
(899 to 2,073). The number of states that have issued mer-
cury advisories has risen steadily from 27 in 1993 to 41
states in 1999. The rise in the number of mercury advi-
sories in 1999 can be attributed to a net increase of mer-
cury advisories in 15 states. Five states account for the
majority (82%) of this net increase: South Carolina (+34),
Minnesota (+29), Massachusetts (+26), Michigan (+18),
and Indiana (+10). It should also be noted that 11 states
(Connecticut, Indiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan,
Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, North Carolina,
Ohio, and Vermont) have issued statewide advisories for
mercury in freshwater lakes and/or rivers. Another six states
(Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Maine, Mississippi, and Texas)
have statewide advisories for mercury in their coastal
waters. To date, 90% of the 2,073 mercury advisories in
effect have been issued by the following 11 states: Minne-
sota (850), Wisconsin (411), Indiana (136), Florida (97),
Massachusetts (84), Georgia (82), Michigan (71), South
Carolina (56), New Jersey (30), New Mexico (26), and
Montana (22).
PCBs
Advisories for PCBs increased 3% from 1998 to 1999 (from
679 to 703) and increased 120% from 1993 to 1998 (319
to 703). The number of states that have issued PCB advi-
sories continued to rise to 38 states (including American
Samoa) in 1999, up from 31 states in 1993 and 36 states
in 1998. Maryland issued its first advisory for PCBs in 1999.
The majority (79%) of the net gain in PCB advisories in
1999 came from 5 states: Delaware (+7), Illinois (+3),
Indiana (+3), Kentucky (+3), and Virginia (+3). To date,
78% of the 703 PCB advisories in effect have been issued
by 10 states: Indiana (128), Michigan (105), Minnesota
(84), Wisconsin (56), New York (49), Ohio (35), Pennsyl-
vania (24), Georgia (24), Illinois (21), and Nebraska (20).
Three states (Indiana, New York, and District of Columbia)
have issued statewide freshwater (river and/or lake)
advisories for PCBs. Six other states (Connecticut, Maine,
Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, and Rhode
Island) have issued PCB advisories for all of their coastal
marine waters.
Other Pollutants
The total number of advisories for DDT (and its degrada-
tion products, DDE and ODD) increased from 34 in 1998
to 40 in 1999. California had the greatest number of DDT
advisories active in 1999 (13), followed by New York (4)
and Texas (4). The total number of advisories for dioxins
increased by 15 (25%) from 1998 to 74 advisories in 1999.
This increase follows a 9% decrease in dioxin advisories
from 1997 to 1998. The rise in dioxin advisories in 1999
can largely be attributed to 9 new advisories issued in
Delaware and 5 advisories issued in Michigan. Dioxins are
one of several chemical contaminants for which advisories
have been rescinded in many states in recent years, in part
because pulp and paper mills have changed their process-
es. Many advisories for the pesticide chlordane have also
been rescinded in recent years, in part because all uses of
chlordane in the United States were banned in 1988 and
the compound continues to be degraded in the environ-
ment. The number of chlordane advisories decreased again
in 1999 (101 advisories), down by 3% from 1998 (104
advisories) and down by 14% from 1997 (117 advisories).
Wildlife Advisories
In addition to advisories for fish and shellfish, the web site
also contains several wildlife advisories. Four states have
issued consumption advisories for turtles: Arizona (3),
Massachusetts (1), Minnesota (8), and New York (statewide
advisory). One state (Massachusetts) has an advisory for
frogs, New York has a statewide advisory for waterfowl
(including mergansers), Arkansas has an advisory for wood
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ducks, and Utah has an advisory for American coot and
ducks. Maine issued a statewide advisory for moose liver
and kidneys due to cadmium levels.
Summary of Canadian Advisories
No new information was collected regarding fish advisories
in Canada for 1999. Beginning in 1996, EPA contacted
health and environmental officials in the 12 Canadian
provinces and territories to obtain narrative and geographic
information system (CIS) information on advisories
throughout Canada. Figure 5 shows the number of water-
bodies under advisory in 1997 for each of the Canadian
provinces. The number of Canadian advisories in effect in
1997 was 2,625. Provincewide advisories for mercury were
also in effect in 1997 for Nova Scotia and New Brunswick.
With respect to chemical contaminants, advisories in
Canada have been issued for a total of five bioaccumulative
chemical contaminants including mercury (2,572), PCBs
(59), dioxins/furans (68), toxaphene (16), and mirex (9).
More than 97% of all Canadian advisories have been
issued for mercury.
Figure 5.
Total Number of Fish Advisories in Effect in Canada
11*
*Provincewide advisories in effect in 1997 for Nova Scotia
(all rivers and lakes) and New Brunswick (all lakes).
For More Information
For more information on specific advisories within a state,
contact the appropriate state agency listed on the National
Listing of Fish and Wildlife Advisories web site at:
www.epa.gov/waterscience/fish/listing.html. This is particu-
larly important for advisories that recommend consumers
restrict their consumption of fish from certain waterbodies.
State health departments provide more specific information
for restricted consumption advisories on the appropriate
meal size and meal frequency (number of meals per week
or month) that is considered safe to eat.
The data available on the national listing web site may also
be used to assist the general public in making informed
decisions about the waterbodies in which they choose to
fish or harvest wildlife, and the species and size of fish they
choose to eat. The national listing of fish and wildlife advi-
sories web site includes advisory information for all states
through December 1999. For some states, the web site
includes additional data on advisories issued in 2000.
For more information on how to properly clean fish to
reduce exposure, consult EPA's brochure "Should I Eat the
Fish I Catch," available in English, Spanish, and Hmong on
EPA's fish advisory web site: www.epa.gov/waterscience/fish.
For more information on the National Fish and Wildlife
Contamination Program, contact:
Jeff Bigler
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Office of Science and Technology
National Fish and Wildlife Contamination
Program (4305)
1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW
Washington, DC 20460
Phone 202-260-7301
e-mail bigler.jeff@epa.gov.
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