SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) – Fish are an important part of nutrition for many people’s diets but local rivers and lakes can sometimes be contaminated with chemicals that affect those fish.
The Massachusetts Department of Public Health samples the water and fish throughout Massachusetts for high levels of mercury and forever chemicals known as PFAS. The Mass. DPH then issues advisories for what fish should not be eaten based on where they are caught.
Mercury is a naturally occurring metal that is found in the environment but can also be released by coal-burning power plants. Fish with mercury can still be consumed in some cases but should be limited to less meals per month.
PFAS, Per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances, are chemicals that have been used since the 1950s for stain-resistant, water-resistant and non-stick products. PFAS are commonly used in food packaging, clothing and other products. One source of contamination has also come from firefighting foam. Consuming these forever chemicals over an unknown amount of time has been associated with increased levels of cholesterol and live enzymes as well as an increase in the risk of high blood pressure and pre-eclampsia in pregnant women.
There is no way to remove these chemicals from fish already contaminated. They can not be cut, cleaned or cooked out, according to DPH.
The good news is that MassWildlife stocks local lakes and rivers with healthy trout twice a year which can be consumed. More than 455,000 trout have been stocked this spring throughout Massachusetts.
The following bodies of water in western Massachusetts have been issued advisories as of May 2024. If you are more sensitive to these types of hazards, it is recommended to avoid eating any of these fish:
- Ashfield Pond in Ashfield – Mercury Hazard – Limit Largemouth Bass to 2 meals/month
- Ashley Lake in Washington – Mercury Hazard – Limit Yellow Perch to 2 meals/month
- Ashmere Lake in Hinsdale – Mercury Hazard – Limit Chain Pickerel, Largemouth Bass to 2 meals/month
- Atkins Reservoir in Amherst – Mercury Hazard – Limit all fish to 2 meals/month
- Big Pond in Otis – Mercury Hazard – Do not eat Largemouth Bass, limit other fish to 2 meals/month
- Buck Pond in Westfield – PFAS Hazard – Limit all fish to 2 meals/month
- Buckley Dunton Lake in Becket – Mercury Hazard – Do not eat Largemouth Bass
- Chicopee Reservoir in Chicopee – PFAS Hazard – Do not eat any fish
- Chicopee River (Palmer, Ludlow, Wilbraham, Springfield, Chicopee) – PFAS Hazard – Limit all fish to 2 meals/month
- Congomond Lake in Southwick – PFAS Hazard – Limit all fish to 1 meal/week
- Connecticut River (all areas of the river) – PCBs, PFAS Hazard – Do not eat American Eel, Channel Catfish, White Catfish, Yellow Perch. Limit all other fish to 2 meals/month
- Damon Pond in Chesterfield, Goshen – Mercury Hazard – Limit Chain Pickerel, Largemouth Bass to 2 meals/month
- East Brimfield Reservoir in Brimfield, Sturbridge – Mercury Hazard – Limit all fish to 2 meals/month
- Gales Pond in Warwick – Mercury Hazard – Limit Yellow Perch to 2 meals/month
- Garfield Lake in Monterey – Mercury Hazard – Limit Largemouth Bass to 2 meals/month
- Goodrich Pond in Pittsfield – PCBs Hazard – Do not eat any fish
- Holland Pond in Brimfield, Holland, Sturbridge – Mercury Hazard – Limit all fish to 2 meals/month
- Hoosic River in North Adams, Williamstown – PCBs, PFAS Hazard – Do not eat any fish
- Housatonic River – PCBs Hazard – Do not eat any fish including frogs and turtles
- Konkapot River in Sheffield, New Marlborough – Mercury Hazard – Limit all fish to 2 meals/months
- Laurel Lake in Erving, Warwick – Mercury Hazard – Limit all fish to 2 meals/month
- Long Pond in Brimfield, Sturbridge – Mercury Hazard – Limit all fish to 2 meals/month
- Millers River and its tributaries (between Otter River and Connecticut River) – PCBs, PFAS Hazard – Do not eat American Eel, Brown Trout, limit all other fish to 2 meals/month
- Moores Pond in Warwick – Mercury, PFAS Hazard – Limit American Eel, Chain Pickerel to 2 meals/month, limit other fish to 1 meal/week
- Morewood Lake in Pittsfield – PCBs Hazard – Do not eat any fish
- Otis Reservoir in Otis, Tolland – Mercury Hazard – Limit all fish to 2 meals/month
- Oxbow Pond in Easthampton, Northampton – PFAS Hazard – Limit all fish to 2 meals/month
- Pelham Lake in Rowe – Mercury, PFAS Hazard – Limit Largemouth Bass to 2 meals/month, limit other species to 2 meals/month
- Pequot Pond (Hampton Ponds) in Westfield, Southampton – PFAS Hazard – Limit all fish to 1 meal/2 months
- Plainfield Pond in Plainfield – Mercury Hazard – Limit Largemouth Bass to 2 meals/month
- Plunkett Reservoir in Hinsdale – Mercury Hazard – Limit Largemouth Bass to 2 meals/month
- Pontoosuc Lake in Pittsfield, Lanesborough – Mercury, PFAS – Limit Largemouth Bass to 2 meals/month, limit other fish to 2 meals/month
- Quabbin & Wachusett Reservoirs in Franklin, Hampshire Counties – Mercury Hazard – Do not eat Smallmouth Bass, Largemouth Bass or Lake Trout larger than 24 inches, may eat unlimited amount of Salmon and Lake Trout less than 24 inches. Limit consumption of fish to one 5-ounce meal per week.
- Quinebaug River from Hamilton Reservoir to East Brimfield Reservoir – Mercury Hazard – Limit all fish to 2 meals/month
- Red Bridge Pond in Wilbraham – Mercury Hazard – Limit Black Crappie, Largemouth Bass to 2 meals/month
- Lake Rohunta (Middle, North, and South Basins) in Orange, Athol and New Salem – Mercury Hazard – Limit all fish to 2 meals/month
- Sherman Reservoir in Rowe, Monroe – Mercury Hazard – Do not eat Yellow Perch, limit all other fish to 2 meals/month
- Silver Lake in Pittsfield – PCBs Hazard – Do not eat any fish
- Upper Spectacle Pond in Otis, Sandisfield – PFAS Hazard – Limit all fish to 1 meal/week
- Ware River in Hampshire, Hampden Counties – PFAS Hazard – Limit all fish to 2 meals/month
- Windsor Lake in Windsor – Mercury Hazard – Do not eat Largemouth Bass
Local News
22News, an NBC affiliate, began broadcasting local news, network, syndicated, and local programming to western Massachusetts in March 1953. Watch the 22News digital edition on weekdays at 4 p.m.
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