Service Description: This map provides water body-specific health advisory information for fish from Texas waters.
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Description: About Health Advisories
The Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) Seafood and Aquatic Life Group is responsible for monitoring and evaluating contaminant levels in fish from Texas waters. For the past 37 years, DSHS has been issuing health advisories to inform consumers about potential health hazards associated with consumption of contaminated fish.- The fish listed in each health advisory have been tested for chemicals.
- Scientists from DSHS test ONLY the fillet of the fish to determine safe consumption guidelines.
- DSHS uses test results from the fish fillets to determine the average amount of chemicals in fish from Texas waters. They use this information to determine how much fish is safe to eat per month.
- DSHS may declare a public water body as a prohibited area when serious or imminent threat to public health has been identified. Taking fish from prohibited waters is illegal.
- The health advisories provide recommendations for eating fish from Texas waters and is not a rulebook. The health advisories are recommendations or guidelines to help you make safer choices for you and your family. You are not required to follow the eating guidelines.
- Some health advisories provide recommendations for the size range of fish that can be safely eaten.
Questions About Eating Safe Fish?If you have questions about choosing safer fish to eat or would like to see the data and/or reports to support these health advisories, please contact the Seafood and Aquatic Life Group at 512-834-6757 or seafood.regulatory@dshs.texas.gov or Prohibited Waters
- A water body is declared prohibited waters when a serious or imminent threat to public health has been identified.
- Taking, harvesting, or possessing fish from prohibited waters is illegal. Those caught taking fish from prohibited waters can be fined or imprisoned.
- Catch-and-release fishing is legal in prohibited waters.
- Prohibited waters may also be described as a fish possession ban.
- DO NOT Keep or Eat Fish from Prohibited Waters!
Health Advisories for Texas Waters- The health advisories or guidelines issued by DSHS are based ONLY on the amount of chemicals in the fillet of the fish or edible crab meat excluding the "mustard" or hepatopancreas.
- All fish listed in the health advisories are not tested every year. Because the chemicals found in fish don't break down quickly, the amount of chemicals in the fish will not change that much from year to year and neither will the guidelines.
Understanding the Health Advisory GuidelinesThe guidelines are provided for two groups of people:
- Women of childbearing age (under 50) and children under 12
- Babies
- Children under 12
- Women who are pregnant
- Women who are nursing
- Women who plan to become pregnant
- Women past childbearing age (over 50) and males 12 and older
Meal or Serving Size- Women under 50 and children under 12
- One meal of fish = 4 ounces of fish
- Women over 50 and males 12 and older
- One meal of fish = 8 ounces of fish
Example- Space out your consumption - DSHS recommends that you eat no more than 2 meals per month of largemouth bass > 16" from Sam Rayburn Reservoir. You should space the 2 meals out over a month.
- Once you have eaten 2 meals of largemouth bass, you should not eat any more fish from the reservoir or any other waters with a health advisory.
Copyright Text: Texas Department of State Health Services
Consumer Protection Division
Seafood and Aquatic Life Group
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