MDCH Releases 2010 Michigan Fish Advisory

Contact: James McCurtis (517) 241-2112

Agency: Community Health

The Michigan Department of Community Health has issued the 2010 Michigan Fish Advisory with updated information. The advisory, released annually, is about helping people choose and eat safe fish from Michigan rivers, inland lakes, and the surrounding Great Lakes. The advisory has length and species-specific advice for individual Michigan waters based on test results conducted on fish fillet.

Young children, and especially the unborn fetus, are more at risk if exposed to too much of the chemicals that build up in fish. Women of childbearing age and young children who regularly eat sport-caught fish from Michigan waters are strongly encouraged to follow this advisory. The advisory gives information about high levels of chemicals found in fish fillet such as dioxins, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and mercury. It also provides advice about eating safe fish for adult men and women beyond childbearing age.

In addition to the fish and water body specific advice, the guide provides protective advice for the fish consumer who only occasionally eats sport-caught fish, such as:

- Removing the fat removes many of the unwanted chemicals from the fish.

- Mercury is in the meat of both store-bought and sport-caught fish. It cannot be cut or cooked away.

- Eat different types of fish from a variety of sources to reduce your chance of getting too many meals of fish that are not safe to eat.

This simple advice is explained in more detail in a single brochure titled Eat Safe Fish.

To obtain any of these free materials or for more information about Michigan's Fish Consumption Advisory, call the Michigan Department of Community Health toll free at 1-800-648-6942 or go to www.michigan.gov/fishandgameadvisory.