The California Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) has issued a Fish Consumption Advisory for Cachuma Lake due to the levels of mercury found in Black Bass species of fish.

Trout, catfish, crappie, and other common game fish are not included in the consumption advisory and may be considered safe to consume at recommended servings.

The advisory is designed to balance the health benefits of fish consumption and the risks from mercury, according to OEHHA.

Methylmercury, the form of mercury found in fish, affects brain development and can pass from mothers to their babies during pregnancy.

Two sets of guidelines are provided, as certain populations (fetuses, babies, and children) are more sensitive to mercury:

• Women 18-49 years and children 1-17 years
  o Should not eat black bass species
  o May eat:
  ▪ Two total servings per week of Threadfin Shad, or
  ▪ One total serving per week of Common Carp.
• Women 50 years and older and men 18 years and older
  o May eat:
  ▪ Four total servings per week of Threadfin Shad, or
  ▪ Three total servings per week of Common Carp, or
  ▪ One total serving per week of black bass species.

For additional fish species found in Cachuma Lake and not included in this advisory, OEHHA recommends following the statewide advisory for eating fish from California’s lakes and reservoirs without site-specific advice.

A serving is about the size and thickness of your hand for fish fillets (8 ounces). Children should be given smaller servings (less than 8 ounces). For smaller fish species, several individual fish may be required to yield a serving.

For more about the advisory, visit OEHHA’s Cachuma Lake web page, including the posters A Guide to Eating Fish from Cachuma Lake and A Guide to Eating Fish from California Lakes and Reservoirs Without Site-Specific Advice.