October 23, 2024 - SACRAMENTO – On Tuesday, the California Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) issued a fish consumption advisory for the Modesto Reservoir, located approximately 20 miles east of the city of Modesto, in Stanislaus County. The advisory provides safe-eating advice for black bass species, Common Carp, sunfish species and Threadfin Shad.

OEHHA’s Good Catch California program routinely develops fish advisories so Californians can make healthy choices about the fish they catch in waterbodies across the state.

“Many fish have nutrients that may reduce the risk of heart disease, and fish are excellent sources of protein,” said OEHHA Acting Director Dr. David Edwards. “OEHHA’s guidelines help people eating fish caught in Modesto Reservoir to make healthy, informed decisions.”

OEHHA developed these recommendations based on the levels of mercury found in fish caught in the lake. Historic mining and coal burning released mercury into the environment, where it can accumulate in fish. Because mercury affects brain development, particularly in developing children and fetuses, OEHHA provides advice tailored to two groups based on sex and age.

For Modesto Reservoir, OEHHA provides the following safe-eating advice:

Women (18 – 49 years) and children (1 – 17 years)

• May eat the following on a weekly basis:
  • Seven total servings of Threadfin Shad, or
  • Four total servings of sunfish species, or
  • One total serving of black bass species or Common Carp.

Women (50 years and older) and men (18 years and older)

• May eat the following on a weekly basis:
  • Seven total servings of sunfish species or Threadfin Shad, or
  • Two total servings of black bass species or Common Carp.

One serving for adults is an eight-ounce fish fillet, measured before cooking, which is roughly the size and thickness of your hand. For small fish species, several individual fish may make up a single eight-ounce serving. Children should eat servings of less than eight ounces. Eating fish in amounts slightly greater than the advisory’s recommendations is not likely to cause health problems if it is done only occasionally, such as eating fish caught during an annual vacation.

A poster with safe-eating advice for Modesto Reservoir is available on OEHHA’s website in both English and Spanish. For fish species found in Modesto Reservoir that are not included in this advisory, OEHHA recommends following its statewide advisory for eating fish from California lakes and reservoirs without site-specific advice.

OEHHA’s fish advisory recommendations are based on the levels of contaminants, such as mercury, that persist in the environment and accumulate in fish. They are independent of any shorter-term advisories to limit fish intake due to freshwater or estuarine harmful algal blooms (HABs), which can produce toxins that are harmful to humans. Before fishing, check the California HAB Reports Map to see if there are HAB advisories and always practice healthy water habits.

The Modesto Reservoir advisory joins more than 140 other OEHHA advisories that provide site-specific, health-based fish consumption advice for many of the places where people catch and eat fish in California, including lakes, rivers, bays, reservoirs and the California coast. Advisories are available on OEHHA’s Fish Advisories webpage.

OEHHA’s mission is to protect and enhance the health of Californians and the environment through scientific evaluations that inform, support, and guide regulatory and other actions in the state.

Related

• Modesto Reservoir
  Source: OEHHA