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TWRA Fisheries Management Division

Contaminants in Fish

The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, Division of Water Pollution Control issues advisories for consumption of fish from certain Tennessee waters. These fish contain potentially hazardous contaminants.

High risk groups such as children, pregnant women, and nursing mothers should avoid consumption of contaminated fish. Because adverse health effects for normal risk groups are considered to be a result of routine and long-term exposure, an infrequent meal of listed fish is not believed to have a measurable health risk.

Health risks can be substantially reduced by taking a few precautions. Big fish tend to have higher concentrations of toxic materials than smaller ones since they are older and have had more time to accumulate them. Many toxic materials are stored in fatty tissues, so when cleaning fish remove and discard the belly flap and fatty strip along the backbone and lateral line. Filleting the fish and removing the skin is also advisable. Broiling, baking, or grilling provides additional risk reduction. These risk reduction suggestions do not reduce health risks related to mercury.

For specific information regarding aquatic contaminants or affected waters, contact your regional TWRA office or the Water Pollution Control (Environment and Conservation)office at (615) 532-0699.

 

Current Fish Advisories
STREAM COUNTY PORTION POLLUTANT COMMENTS
Loosahatchie River Shelby Mile 0.0-17.0 Chlordane, Other Organics, Mercury Do not eat the fish.
McKellar Lake Shelby Entirety (13 miles) Chlordane, Other Organics, Mercury Do not eat the fish
Mississippi River Shelby MS line to just downstream of Meman Shelby State Park (31 mi) Chlordane, Other Organics, Mercury Do not eat the fish. Commerical fishing prohibited by TWRA.
Nonconnah Creek Shelby Mile 0.0-1.8 (Horn Lake Rd.) Chlordane, Other Organics Do not eat the fish.
Advisory ends at Horn Lake Road bridge.
Wolf River Shelby Mile 0.0-18.9 (Hwy.177, Germantown Rd.) Chlordane, Other Organics, Mercury Do not eat the fish.
Woods Reservoir Franklin Entirety (3,908 acres) PCB's Catfish should not be eaten
Buffalo River Humphreys Perry From the mouth upstream to Hwy. 438 (Mile 31.6) Mercury Precautionary advisory for smallmouthbass*
Boone Reservoir

Sullivan Washington

Entirety (4,400 acres) PCB's, Chlordane Precautionary advisory for carp and catfish*
Chattanooga Creek Hamilton Mouth to GA state line (11.9 miles) PCBs, chlordane Fish should not be eaten.
Also, avoid contact with water.
East Fork of Poplar Creek including Poplar Creek embayment Anderson, Roane Mile 0.0-15.0 Mercury, PCB's Fish should not be eaten. Also avoid contact with water
Emory River Roane, Morgan From Hwy. 27 near Harriman (mile 12.4) upstream to Camp Austin Road Bridge (Mile 21.8). Mercury Precautionary advisory for all fish
Fort Loudon Reservoir Loudon, Knox, Blount Entirety (14,600 acres) PCB's Commercial Fishing for catfish prohibited by TWRA. No catfish or largemouth bass over two pounds should be eaten. Do not eat largemouth bass from the Little River embayment
Hiwassee River Meigs, McMinn, Bradley From Highway 58 (mile 7.4) upstream to the railroad bridge just upstream of U.S. Hwy 11 (Mile 18.9) Mercury Precautionary advisory for largemouth bass*
Holston River Hawkins Sullivan From the mouth of Poor Valley Creek embayment (mile 89.0) upstream to the confluence of the North and South Forks of the Holston near Kingsport Mercury Precautionary advisory for all fish*
Melton Hill Reservoir Knox, Anderson Entirety (5,690 acres) PCBs Catfish should not be eaten.
Nickajack Reservoir Hamilton, Marion Entirety (10,370 acres) PCB's Precautionary advisory for catfish.*
Norris Reservoir Campbell, Anderson, Union, Claiborne, Grainger

Clinch River portion. (Powell River embayment not included in advisory.) (15213 acres

Mercury Precautionary advisory for largemouth bass
North Fork Holston River Sullivan, Hawkins Mile 0.0-6.2 (VA stateline) Mercury Do not eat the fish. Advisory goes to TN/VA line.
South Holston Reservoir Sullivan Portion within Tennessee (7,206 acres) Mercury Precautionary advisory for largemouth bass.*
Tellico Reservoir Loudon, Monroe Entirety (16,500 acres) PCB's, Mercury Catfish should not be eaten
Watauga Reservoir Carter, Johnson Entirety (6,427 acres) Mercury Precautionary advisory for largemouth bass and channel catfish*
Watts Bar Reservoir Roane, Meigs,
Rhea & Loudon
TN River portion (38,000 acres) PCBs Catfish, striped bass, and hybrid (striped bass-white bass) should not be eaten. Precautionary advisory* for white bass, sauger, carp, smallmouth buffalo, and largemouth bass.
Watts Bar Reservior Roane, Anderson Clinch River arm (1,000 acres) PCBs Striped bass should not be eaten. Precautionary advisory for catfish and sauger.*
Boone Reservoir Sullivan,
Washington
Entirety PCBs, chlordane Precautionary advisory for carp and catfish.*
Pigeon River Cocke NC Line to Douglas Reservoir Dioxin Precautionary advisory for carp, catfish, and redbreast sunfish.*
* Precautionary Advisory - Children, pregnant women, and nursing mothers should not eat the fish species named.   All other persons should limit consumption of the named species to one meal per month.

 

 

 

 

 

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