Before eating what you catch in a Massachusetts lake, pond or river this summer, check the consumption advisory list to see what fish Massachusetts health officials deem unsafe to eat.
The Bureau of Environmental Health collaborated with the Massachusetts Department of Public in Health in the creation of this comprehensive list, made to inform residents “of the possible dangers of eating fish caught in Massachusetts streams, rivers, lakes, ponds and some coastal waters.”
The list consists mostly of freshwater bodies scattered throughout all Massachusetts cities.
Officials advise against consuming fish, clams and shellfish found at New Bedford Harbor and Boston Harbor at this time. Bluefish caught off the coast of Massachusetts are also considered toxic.
Stocked fish —fish raised in hatcheries and released in Massachusetts lakes, rivers, ponds and streams— are the only fish officials say are “safe to eat.”
Consuming fish with toxins can cause serious health complications in all people, especially in children and pregnant women.
Health officials consider these contaminants the “primary chemicals of concern”:
- Mercury - a natural metal found in the environment, typically a component of household items such as lightbulbs and thermostats. When products containing mercury are disposed or broken, pollution usually ends up in the air and water. Overconsumption of Mercury can lead to heart disease.
- PCBs: also known as Polychlorinated Biphenyls, are typically found in building materials used for schools and public buildings. Officials consider PCB’s to be mostly carcinogenic.
DDT, Lead, Chlordane and Chloride are other toxins reported on the fish consumption advisory.
“If a fish contains mercury, there is no way to remove the chemical. It cannot be cut, cleaned or cooked out,” said health officials.
Here’s a list of some species Massachusetts health officials advise against eating:
- Aaron River Reservoir: Cohasset, Hingham, Scituate — Chain Pickerel, Yellow Perch — mercury
- Alewife Brook and Little River: Arlington, Belmont, Cambridge, Somerville — Carp — PCBs
- Atkins Reservoir: Amherst, Shutesbury — All species found in the reservoir should be consumed with caution — mercury
- Bare Hill Pond: Harvard — Largemouth Bass — mercury
- Canton River: Canton — All Species found in the river should be consumed with caution —PCBs, DDT
- Charles River: Boston, Cambridge, Dedham, Dover, Natick, Needham, Newton, Watertown, Wellesley, Weston, Waltham — Do not consume Carp, Largemouth Bass — PCBs, pesticides
- Cleveland Pond: Abington —Do not consume Black Crappie — mercury
- Concord River: Concord, Carlisle, Bedford, Billerica —Do not consume Largemouth Bass — mercury
- Connecticut River: Massachusetts towns from Northfield through Longmeadow — Do not consume Channel Catfish, White Catfish, American Eel, Yellow Perch — PCBs
- Damon Pond: Chesterfield, Goshen — Do not consume Chain Pickerel, Largemouth Bass — mercury
- Drinkwater River/ Indian Head River/North River: Hanson, Hanover, Norwell, Pembroke — No fish from these waters should be consumed — mercury
- East Brimfield Reservoir: Brimfield, Sturbridge — All species found in the reservoir should be consumed with caution — mercury
- Fort Meadow Reservoir: Hudson, Marlborough — Do not consume Whitesucker — chlordane
- Great Herring Pond: Bourne, Plymouth — Do not consume Smallmouth Bass — mercury
- Hoosic River: North Adams, Williamstown — No fish from this water should be consumed — PCBs
- Housatonic River: All towns from Dalton through Sheffield — No fish from these waters should be consumed (including frogs and turtles) — PCBs
- Ipswich River: Boxford, Danvers, Hamilton, Ipswich, Middleton, Peabody, Topsfield, Wenham — All species should be consumed with caution — mercury
- Long Pond: Tyngsborough, Brimfield, Sturbridge, Dracut, Tyngsboro, Rutland — All species should be consumed with caution
- Long Pond: Wellfleet — No fish should be consumed from this section of the water — mercury
- Lowell Canals: Lowell — All species should be consumed with caution — mercury, lead, PCBs, DDT
- Merrimack River: All towns from Tyngsborough through Lawrence — Do not consume Whitesucker Largemouth Bass — mercury
- Millers River: Athol, Erving, Montague, Orange, Phillipston, Royalston, Wendell, Winchendon — All species should be consumed with caution — PCBs
- Mystic River: Arlington, Everett, Medford, Somerville — No species should be consumed from this river — PCBs, chlordane, DDT
- Neponset River: Boston, Canton, Dedham, Milton, Norwood, Sharon, Walpole, Westwood — All species should be consumed with caution — PCBs, DDT
- Otter River: Templeton, Winchendon — All species should be consumed with caution — PCBs
- Quabbin & Wachusett Reservoirs: New Salem, Shutesbury, Petersham, Hardwick, Ware, Pelham, Belchertown, Boylston, West Boylston, Sterling, Clinton — All species should be consumed with caution — mercury
- Sudbury River: All towns from Ashland through Concord — No species should be consumed from this river — mercury
View the entire freshwater fish consumption advisory list on the Department of Public Health’s website.
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