New York State Health Advice on Eating Sportfish and Game
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Health Advice on Eating Sportfish and Game Inside: Special advice for women and children New York State Department of Health St. Lawrence Valley p. 9 Adirondack p. 11 Finger Lakes p. 7 Hudson Valley/ Capital District p. 27 Hudson River & Tributaries p. 30 Western p. 5 Leatherstocking/ Central p. 17 Catskill p. 19 New York City p. 32 Long Island p. 34 & 35 Table of Contents Background: Health Advice on Eating Sportfish and Game .............................................................................. 2 Health Advisories by Region ................................................................................................................................. 4 Western Region ................................................................................................................................................. 5 Finger Lakes Region .......................................................................................................................................... 7 St. Lawrence Valley Region ............................................................................................................................... 9 Adirondack Region ............................................................................................................................................ 11 Leatherstocking/Central Region ...................................................................................................................... 17 Catskill Region ................................................................................................................................................... 19 Regional Maps ................................................................................................................................................... 21 Western Region ............................................................................................................................................ 21 Finger Lakes Region ..................................................................................................................................... 21 St. Lawrence Valley Region ........................................................................................................................... 22 Leatherstocking/Central Region .................................................................................................................. 22 Adirondack Region ....................................................................................................................................... 23 New York City Region ................................................................................................................................... 24 Catskill Region ............................................................................................................................................. 25 Long Island Region (Marine and Freshwater) ............................................................................................. 25 Hudson River and Hudson Valley Regions ................................................................................................... 26 Hudson Valley/Capital District Region .............................................................................................................. 27 Hudson River & Tributaries Region ................................................................................................................... 30 New York City Region .......................................................................................................................................... 32 Long Island Region (Marine) ............................................................................................................................... 34 Long Island Region (Freshwater) ....................................................................................................................... 35 Contacts for Additional Information ..................................................................................................................... 36 Procedures for Setting Advisories ........................................................................................................................ 37 Information on Chemicals in Sportfish and Game.............................................................................................. 37 Good Sanitary Practices While Fishing and Handling Fish ................................................................................. 39 Advice on Eating Raw or Partially Cooked Fish and Shellfish .......................................................................... 39 Bacteria in Clams, Oysters and Mussels ........................................................................................................... 39 Marine Algal Toxins in Clams, Oysters, Mussels, Scallops, Snails, Crabs and Lobsters ................................ 39 Freshwater Harmful Blue-green Algae Blooms ................................................................................................. 40 Deformed or Abnormal Fish ............................................................................................................................... 40 Advice on Contaminants in Game ....................................................................................................................... 40 Lead in Shot and Bullets .................................................................................................................................... 40 Good Sanitary Practices - Bacteria, Viruses and Parasites in Game ............................................................... 41 Advice on Eating Raw or Partially Cooked Meats ............................................................................................. 41 Rabies and Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) ................................................................................................... 41 Alphabetic Listing of Waterbodies with Advisories ............................................................................................ 43 Health Advice on Eating Sportfish and Game 1 Background: Health Advice on Eating Sportfish and Game Why We Have Advisories Fishing is fun and fish are an important part of a healthy diet. Fish contain high quality protein, essential nutrients, healthy fish oils, and are low in saturated fat. However, some fish contain chemicals at levels that may be harmful to health. To help people make healthier choices about which fish to eat, the New York State Department of Health (NYS DOH) issues advice about eating sportfish (fish you catch). People can get the health benefits of fish and reduce their exposures to chemicals, or contaminants, by following the NYS DOH advice. The advisories tell people which fish to avoid and how to reduce their exposures to contaminants in the fish they do eat. Fish from fresh waters are more likely to be contaminated than fish from remote marine waters because many fresh waters are close to human activities and contamination sources. Anglers (and others who eat fish caught by friends and family) often eat fish from a limited set of waters because they tend to return to favorite fishing locations. When those fishing locations contain fish with higher contaminant vels,le the people who eat them will have higher contaminant exposures. NYS DOH also issues advice about game, such as snapping turtles and wild waterfowl. Game may also contain chemicals at levels of concern. Advice about game starts on page 40. Fish from Stores and Restaurants The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulates the sale of commercial fish in markets. Due to concerns about mercury, the FDA and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) provide advice to pregnant women, women who may become pregnant, and young children about three categories of fish: “Best Choices”, “Good Choices”, and “Choices to Avoid”. The seven choices in the “Choices to Avoid” category are shark, swordfish, king mackerel, tuna (bigeye), marlin, orange roughy and tilefish. As part of a healthy diet, FDA/EPA recommends that women who are pregnant, may become pregnant and nursing mothers eat two to three servings (4 ounces each) of fish from their list of “Best Choices” or one serving per week of fish from their list of “Good Choices”, and that young children should be served one to two servings of smaller portion sizes per week. The full FDA/EPA advisory, including lists of “Best Choices” and “Good Choices” fish and answers to frequently asked questions about mercury in fish and shellfish, can be found at www.fda.gov/fishadvice and www.epa.gov/ fishadvice. Health Risks from Contaminants in Fish and Game The primary contaminants of concern in New York State fish are mercury and PCBs. Other contaminants such as cadmium, chlordane, DDT, dieldrin, dioxin, mirex, and PFAS (previously referred to as PFCs) are also concerns in fish from some of the State’s waterbodies. These chemicals build up in your body over time. Health problems that may result from these contaminants range from small changes in health that are hard to detect to birth defects and cancer. Women who eat highly contaminated fish and become pregnant may have an increased risk of having children who are slower to develop and learn. Chemicals may have a greater effect on developing organs in young children or in unborn babies. Some chemicals may be passed on in mother’s milk. Women beyond their childbearing years and men face fewer health risks from contaminants