Fish Consumption

What You Need to Know about Eating Freshwater Fish in North Carolina: Fish Consumption Advisories

Most freshwater fish in North Carolina are safe to eat, but some fish in some waters are unsafe due to high levels of pollutants in the waterbodies. Most of this pollution comes from industrial chemicals and processes; in North Carolina, burning coal for electricity production has led to an increase in mercury levels in fish. Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs), once used as an electrical coolant, and dioxins, old by-products from making paper, are also pollutants in some North Carolina waterbodies.

This website contains:

• An interactive map to help you identify which fish are unsafe to eat due to pollutants in waterbodies near you
• Information on the pollutants of concern in North Carolina and their health effects
• Recommendations for serving size and eating of local fish
• Preparation and recipe ideas to reduce pollutants
• Suggested fish species to eat more of
• Fish species to avoid eating from waterbodies in North Carolina where pollutants have been found
• A searchable table of North Carolina waterbodies with information about pollutants and eating guidelines.

• View the official release
• Advice About Eating Fish – Materials to print, post, and share

Learn more about healthy consumption of saltwater fish species and seafood, check out these resources from North Carolina Sea Grant and the North Carolina Division of Public Health:

• A comprehensive overview of seafood consumption
• A guide to North Carolina seafood availability and quality
• Information on mercury levels in seafood
• A guide to ocean fish low in mercury

*The Fish Consumption Advisories listed on this web resource are based on data collected by the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality, Division of Water Resources and are issued by the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Public Health. Refer to the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission for fishing regulations, size limits, and harvest limits. If your waterbody of interest is not listed in this database, it does not mean that fish from it are safe to eat; only that fish from all waterbodies in North Carolina have not been tested for all possible pollutants.