2023 What's New

New advice for the entire Catskill Region, as well as waters in the Leatherstocking, Western, and Long Island Regions.

• See the new Catskill Regional Advice for the best choice fish that the whole family can eat. DOH has updated the regional advice for the Catskill Region to be more protective for families consuming locally caught fish. Anglers should follow the regional advice when fishing in any Catskill Region water that doesn’t have a specific advisory. These changes are based upon the adoption of new health-protective mercury guidelines issued in 2021.
• Advice has also changed for Catskill waters with specific advisories such as the Ashokan, Cannonsville, Neversink, Pepacton, and Schoharie Reservoirs as well as Herrick Hollow Creek and North-South Lake. The sensitive population, people who may bear children under the age of 50 and children under 15, can now eat some lower mercury species from these waters. Specific advice can be found here.
• The specific advisory for the Rondout Reservoir was removed. Families can now follow the new Catskill Regional Advice and choose to eat from lower mercury species.

Western Region advice has been added for Scajaquada Creek and Waterport Reservoir/Lake Alice.

• Scajaquada Creek:don’t eat fish from this water body and practice catch and release as an alternative.
• Waterport Reservoir/Lake Alice:eat up to 1 meal a month of channel catfish. The sensitive population should limit consumption of all fish in this waterbody to 1 meal a month.

DOH and DEC continue to work collaboratively to test for, and issue advice, for PFAS contamination in fish. Based on guidelines created in 2020 by the Great Lakes Consortium for Fish Consumption Advisories, which NY is a part of, NYS DOH continues to analyze and issue advisories for PFAS in fish. This year, PFAS advice has been issued for:

• Threemile Creek (Leatherstocking Region): don't eat fish from this water body and practice catch and release as an alternative.
• Mohawk River/Erie Canal (Leatherstocking Region): rock bass, smallmouth bass, walleye, and yellow perch may be eaten up to 1 meal a month by the general population (people beyond their childbearing years and those who do not bear children) while the sensitive population should not eat them at all.
• Peconic Lake/Peconic River between the Edwards Ave. Dam and the Peconic Lake Dam (Long Island - Freshwater): yellow perch can be eaten up to 1 meal a month for the general population while the sensitive population should not eat them at all.

More information about how NYS DOH sets fish advisories is available here.

The sensitive population refers to people who may bear children under the age of 50 and children under 15. The general population refers to everyone else.

2022 What's New

New advice for the Adirondack Region, Mohawk River and more.

• Check out the new Adirondack Regional Advice. DOH updated the regional advice for the Adirondacks which allows the whole family to eat some fish from all waters in the Adirondacks.
• Advice was updated for the Mohawk River in both the Leatherstocking and Capital Region including carp, which everyone shouldn’t eat, between Lock E21 at New London to Cohoes Falls.

Updates for Lake Erie (Western Region): Everyone should not eat carp, but the whole family can add brown bullhead and rudd to their 4 meals per month.

Advice has changed for Lake Welch and the East Branch Reservoir in the Hudson Valley, Buffalo River/Harbor and Eighteenmile Creek in the Western Region, and Coldbrook Creek and Owasco Lake in the Finger Lakes Region.

2020/2021 What's New

Great news for anglers! The entire family can eat fish from more waters in 2021.

Women under 50 and children under 15 can eat more fish from:

• Lake Ontario, Niagara River, and most of the St. Lawrence River including up to four meals a month of brown bullhead, rainbow smelt, rock bass, white sucker, and yellow perch; and up to one meal a month of salmon.
• Fourth Lake of Delta Chain (Adirondack Region): eat up to four meals a month of brook trout, brown trout, bullhead, crappie, rainbow trout, rock bass, and sunfish.
• Skaneateles Creek (Finger Lakes Region): eat up to one meal a month of brown and rainbow trout and up to four meals a month of all other fish.

New materials about PCB levels in Hudson River striped bass are available here. Women under 50 and children under 15 should not eat any Hudson River fish caught between Corinth and New York City. Everyone else planning to eat their Hudson River striped bass should fish south of the Rip Van Winkle Bridge in Catskill where PCB levels in fish are lower.

More advice has changed so be sure to check in on your favorite fishing spots.

2019 What's New

Advisory changes in the Catskill, Leatherstocking/Central, St. Lawrence Valley, Hudson Valley, and Finger Lakes regions, and new detailed maps are available.

• Better news for anglers that fish the Schoharie Reservoir! The advice for smaller smallmouth bass in the Schoharie Reservoir (Catskill Region) has been relaxed and men and older women can eat up to four meals per month.
• Advice for carp was added to a new section of the Mohawk River (Leatherstocking/Central Region). The existing advice was also extended to other parts of the river due to new PCB data.
• The existing advice for the St. Lawrence River (St. Lawrence Valley Region) now covers a larger portion of the river in the South Channel Bridge area due to new PCB data.
• A PCB advisory for carp has been added to the Hoosic River (Hudson Valley Region) and a new advisory for Owasco Lake has been added (Finger Lakes Region) due to higher mercury levels in some fish.
• New detailed maps are available that show the health advice for public access waters in Greene and Columbia counties. The Orange county map was updated to include a map of Newburgh area waters: www.health.ny.gov/fish/maps.htm.

2018 What's New

Advisory changes in the Catskill Region and new materials available.

• A length based advisory has been added for yellow perch in the Pepacton Reservoir in the Catskill Region.
• A new Leatherstocking/Central Region: Health Advice on Eating Fish You Catch brochure is available. This brochure includes advice for Chenango, Madison, Montgomery, Oneida, Otsego, and Schoharie Counties, and parts of Herkimer County.
• New detailed maps are available that show the health advice for public access waters in Albany, Dutchess, Orange, Rensselaer, Rockland, Saratoga, Schenectady and Ulster counties. These are the first maps in a statewide series that will become available over time: www.health.ny.gov/fish/maps.htm.

2017 What's New

DOH issues “Catch and Release Advisory” for select waterbodies in the Newburgh and Hoosick Falls areas for Perfluorinated Compounds (PFCs)

• Preliminary results from an ongoing study indicate that fish from some waters in the Newburgh and Hoosick Falls areas have elevated levels of PFCs, compared to fish from other waters in these areas.
• Until testing is complete and more information is available to develop more detailed fish consumption advisories, DOH recommends that people who fish these specific waters return their catch.
• DOH will continue to consider new test results and other information as it becomes available to determine the need for more specific fish consumption advisories for these areas.

Advisory changes for the Leatherstocking/Central, Adirondacks, and the St. Lawrence Valley Regions

• In the Leatherstocking/Central Region, Mud Creek, a tributary to Sauquoit Creek, has been added to the list of waters with specific advisories. White sucker and brown trout have been added to the "do not eat" category in Mud Creek due to PCBs. White sucker has been added to the "do not eat" category in a portion of Sauquoit Creek also due to PCBs. Younger women (women under 50) and children under 15 should not eat any fish from waters with specific advisories.
• In the Adirondack Region, size of lake trout in Schroon Lake was updated, due to mercury.
• In the St. Lawrence Valley Region, carp in the Black River was added as limited consumption, due to PCBs.

2016 What's New

Advisory changes for the Hudson River and Adirondacks

• Hudson River and tidal Rondout Creek: New data shows higher levels of PCBs in Walleye from the tidal portion of the Rondout Creek and the Hudson River. The new advice recommends no one eat Walleye from these waters.
• Changes to Raquette Lake and Forked Lake, new advisory for Lake Algonquin in the Adirondacks: Advisories for lake trout were added to the existing advisories for Raquette and Forked Lake. Lake Algonquin was added to the list of waters with specific advisories with restrictions for men and older women on eating larger chain pickerel. Younger women (women under 50) and children under 15 should not eat any fish from these waters.
• Check out our Free Fish Materials, now in more languages.

2015 What's New

New, free regional booklet on Eating Fish You Catch

• Hudson Valley Region: Health Advice on Eating the Fish You Catch. This booklet provides advice on eating fish caught from Westchester, Rockland, Orange, Putnam, Dutchess, Ulster, Green, Columbia, Albany, Rensselaer, Schenectady, Saratoga and Washington counties. It includes maps of waters with advice and suggestions on where the entire family can eat up to four meals a month of caught fi sh. Available in English and Spanish.
• Long Island and New York City: Health Advice on Eating the Fish You Catch. This booklet provides advice on eating fi sh caught from Long Island and New York City fresh and marine waters, and includes maps of waters with advice. Available in English, Spanish, Simplifi ed Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Polish and Russian.

2014 What's New

Advisory changes for Lake Ontario and Keuka Lake, new brochure for blue crabs, and advisory for Northern Hudson duck hunters

• Good news for anglers who fish Lake Ontario and the Niagara River downstream of Niagara Falls! Latest data are showing lower contaminant levels in fish.
• Keuka Lake no longer has any specific advisories for eating fish. Everyone can enjoy up to 4 meals a month of all fish from this lake.
• A new brochure New York State Blue Crab Cooking and Eating Guide is now available. Check the website at health.ny.gov/environmental/outdoors/fish/health_advisories/publications.htm to view or order any of our fish advisory publications.
• In case you missed this information last hunting season, be aware that waterfowl in the Hudson River between Hudson Falls and Troy are likely to have higher PCB levels than other areas of the State. Hunters are advised to harvest waterfowl from other locations of the Hudson River or other areas in the State.

2013 What's New

Advisory changes for Niagara River, Lake Erie, and Jamaica Bay and new regional brochures

• The advice for women under 50 and children under 15 says that they can now eat many fish from the Niagara River above Niagara Falls. This adds more options for women and children in the Western Region, who can continue to enjoy up to four meals a week of these fish from Lake Erie.
• New advice for men over 15 and women over 50 about eating channel catfish was added to Lake Erie and the Niagara River above Niagara Falls.
• Temporary advice was added for Paerdeget Basin of Jamaica Bay in the NYC Region. Please check our website health.ny.gov/fish/health_advisories/regional/new_york _city.htm to see whether this advice is still in effect.
• Three new regional brochures are available for the St. Lawrence, Finger Lakes and Northern Hudson. Please check our website at health.ny.gov/fish/publications to view all publications available for download and ordering.

2012 What's New

Advisory changes for the Adirondack and Western Regions, and the Northern Hudson River

• Two new waterbodies were added: Lewiston Reservoir in Niagara County in the Western Region, and Beaver River (between High Falls Dam and Croghan Dam) in Lewis County in the Adirondack Region.
• Fish species were added, dropped or changed for existing advisories for four other Adirondack waters: Fall Lake in Hamilton County; Francis Lake in Lewis County; Cumberland Bay on Lake Champlain in Clinton, Essex and Washington Counties; and Schroon Lake in Warren and Essex Counties.
• A new fish species was added to the "eat up to one meal a month" category for men over 15 and women over 50 in the upper Hudson between Corinth Dam and the dam at the Route 9 Bridge in South Glens Falls.
• New advice was added about avoiding eating fish and contact with water in areas of blue-green algal blooms.

2011 What's New

Advisory changes for the Adirondacks and Long Island, PCBs decrease in Lake Champlain allowing relaxed advisory

• Six new waterbody advisories were added in the Adirondack Region. Four are in Hamilton County - Brown Tract Ponds, Fall Lake, Lewey Lake, and Limekiln Lake (which also extends to Herkimer County). Hinkley Reservoir was added in Herkimer County. Stark Falls Reservoir was added in St. Lawrence County.
• Based on declining PCB levels, advice on eating brown bullhead from Lake Champlain's Cumberland Bay has been relaxed from "don't eat" to "eat up to one meal per month" for women over 50 and men. PCB levels in Cumberland Bay fish have dropped since contaminated sediments were removed in 1999, and other Cumberland Bay advisories may be relaxed in the future.
• New fish species were added or other changes were made to existing advisories for Massapequa Reservoir in Nassau County, Big Moose Lake and Sunday Lake in Herkimer County, Ferris Lake in Hamilton County, and Union Falls Pond in Clinton and Franklin Counties.
• There is a new look for the statewide booklet as well as regional brochures. Look for the icon of women and children as an easy way to pull the special advice.
• There is expanded availability of regional brochures. This year, look for user-friendly versions of the Adirondack, Catskill, New York City, Western, and Hudson River regions of New York State.