The Middletown Press (Middletown, CT)
State advises what fish are safe to eat
Today is the unofficial start of fishing season in Conn.
The art of fishing strikes an angled balance between patience and reward. With various water bodies to choose from and easy access to the Long Island Sound, many tackle the sport in Connecticut’s waters with the unofficial start of the season Saturday.
Despite the many health benefits of eating fish, a history of chemical spills and air pollution has contaminated certain waters and the fish in it, making some type unsafe to eat, based on where it’s caught. Who is eating the fish and how often also comes into play under the state’s health advisories.
“Fish are really good for you and important. You just need to be smart about eating it,” said Sharee Rusnak, an epidemiologist with the state Department of Public Health. “One fish meal is not going to make you sick and we don’t want people to be afraid of that, but over a period of time they can make you sick if you’re eating fish that we recommend you do not eat at all.”
To help anglers interested in consuming their catch, DPH publishes an annual “Eating Fish Safely” advisory that indicates the type of fish that are safe to eat, how often someone should be eating them, and the primary contaminant found throughout Connecticut’s waters, including the Long Island Sound. The advisory guide also offers tips on how to cook and clean the fish since each contaminant lives in a different part of the fish’s body.
“We try to emphasize to people, to encourage people, to eat fish and be smart about it,” she said.
The most common contaminants in Connecticut fish include mercury, perfluorooctane sulfonic acid, or PFOS, and polychlorinated biphenyls, known as PCBs. Fish can build up contamination levels thousands of times higher than in the water itself, according to DPH.
Rusnak said an emerging contaminant DPH is concerned about is perand polyfluoroalkyl substances, called PFAS, which are a group of human-made chemicals, including PFOs, that are commonly found in Connecticut fish and considered “more toxic.”
As more contaminated fish is consumed, the chemicals can build up in a person’s body and increase the chance of developing various health issues depending on the contaminant, though it can take a while, Rusnak said.
PCBs are toxic to many organs, can impact a person’s immune system, cause cancer in lab studies and may have behavioral effects if a fetus is exposed, according to DPH. PCBs are primarily found in the fatty portions of fish, so removing all fatty portions before cooking is crucial and can remove half of the contamination, Rusnak said.
Mercury can cause neurological issues, Rusnak said. Mercury is typically found in fish’s edible filet portion, cooking or cleaning won’t lower the exposure, DPH said.
According to DPH, residents with the highest risk of becoming sick after consuming contaminated fish include children younger than 6 and people thinking of becoming pregnant within a year or are currently pregnant.
Many of the contaminants in fish come from chemical pollution from an industrial source. Rusnak said the contamination in the Housatonic River, which stretches the length of the western side of the state, comes from the Pittsfield GE Superfund Facility in Massachusetts. She said the Housatonic River has the oldest fish consumption advisory in the nation, having been first placed in the mid-1980s.
“In Connecticut, we don’t have any soil contamination risk or sediment contamination from the facility,” she said. “The only thing we have is really the fish that are contaminated because the fish don’t stay in one spot.”
The mercury contamination is caused by air pollution, which can travel long distances from the source, with most coming from out of state, DPH reported.
Contaminant levels in general have improved in Connecticut though thanks to cleanups, identifying the source of the contamination and legislation banning certain types of chemicals, such as PCBs, Rusnak said.
She said one huge success story is the recent lift on the “No Eat” advisory for blue crabs caught in Mill River in Fairfield after studying lead levels in meat collected in 2022. The advisory was placed in the early 2000s due to the high lead levels caused by the former Exide Battery Manufacturing
Company. Roughly 30,000 cubic yards of leadimpacted sediment were cleaned up and removed from the river.
“I haven’t been able to remove advisories very often and I’m very excited to do so,” Rusnak said.
Most trout in Connecticut’s rivers are safe to eat because they usually have little contamination and are routinely re-stocked. However, there are limits on trout from specific water bodies due to PCBs and PFO, and large trout are limited due to high levels of mercury, according to DPH.
Here are the water bodies with advisories in Connecticut.
Dodge Pond, Lake McDonough, Silver Lake
Mercury is the main contaminant in the largemouth bass, smallmouth bass and pickerels caught here. It’s recommended that highrisk groups avoid eating these types of fish, while low-risk groups can have one meal a month.
Quinnipiac River
PCBs and PFOs are the primary contaminants in fish caught in Quinnipiac River spanning the south of Meriden to the Long Sound. It’s recommended to have only one fish per month for both high and low-risk groups.
Versailles, Papermill Ponds and attached Little River
All fish caught in here are contaminated with mercury and PCBs, so DPH recommends not eating fish caught in these waters.
Connecticut River
Consuming fish species, except for shad, caught in the Connecticut River should be limited to one meal a month since they contain PCBs and PFOs.
Konkapot River
Along the Konkapot River in North Canaan, white sucker was found to have mercury. People who are high risk shouldn’t eat it while others with lower risk can have fish once a month.
Brewster Pond
At Stratford’s Brewster Pond, the catfish and bullheads shouldn’t be eaten since they were identified to have chlordane, a chemical commonly used as a pesticide.
Union Pond
All the fish living in Union Pond in Manchester were found to have PFOs, and DPH recommends that they not be eaten.
Still River
In Winchester’s Still River, the bass were identified to have PFOs so shouldn’t be eaten more than once a month.
Scantic River
The American eel in the Scantic River is contaminated with PFOs, so DPH said it’s best to limit consumption to once a month for all.
Pequabuck River
The American eel found in the Pequabuck River often contains PFOs, so limit consumption to one a month for both high and low-risk groups.
Natchaug, Willimantic and Shetucket Rivers
All fish found contain PFOs; however, the advisory
varies by type and risk. Bass caught in these rivers should not be eaten, while other fish can be consumed once a month.
Hockanum and Tankerhoosen Rivers
Any fish caught in the Hockanum and Tankerhoosen Rivers should not be eaten since they have high levels of PFOs.
Lower Farmington River
Yellow perch and bass caught in the lower Farmington River contain PFOs and should only be consumed once a month by anyone.
Long Island Sound and connecting rivers
The only source to catch saltwater fish in Connecticut is on the Long Island Sound, where there are concerns about specific fish types and sizes for people in high-risk groups. The primary contaminant found was PCBs.
It’s recommended people in the high-risk group don’t eat caught striped bass or bluefish over 25 inches. Bluefish 13 to 25 inches and weakfish are safe to eat once a month. Low-risk groups can have each fish once a month.
Housatonic River above Lake Lillinonah
All the species found on the northern end of the Housatonic River contain PCBs. However, some species have “no eat” advisories while others don’t. At either risk level, individuals should not eat caught trout, catfish, eel, carp, or northern pike.
Bass or white perch should also be avoided by people at high risk. Lowrisk groups can safely eat
these fish about once every two months.
Bluegill, bullhead, fallfish, yellow perch, calico bass, rock bass and sunfish can be safely eaten once a month by both low- and high-risk groups.
Lakes Lillinonah, Zoar
The fish species in the lakes connected to the Housatonic River are also contaminated with PCBs and have varying eating advice by type.
It’s recommended people don’t eat catfish, eel, carp, northern pike or trout caught in the lakes. People in the high-risk group also shouldn’t eat bass from the lakes.
White perch, fallfish, bullhead, yellow perch, calico bass, rock bass and sunfish can be eaten by either group once a month. Lowrisk groups can eat bass once every two months.
Furnace Brook
Trout in Cornwall’s Furnace Brook test positive for PCBs. High and low-risk groups can have once a month.
Blackberry River below “Blast Furnace”
Both high- and low-risk groups can eat smallmouth bass caught in the Blackberry River once a month. PCBs were the main containment found.
Naugatuck River
Bass caught in the Naugatuck River contain PFOs, so DPH said everyone can safely enjoy one meal per month.
Housatonic River at O’Sullivan Island
All the species caught at O’Sullivan Island contain PFOs and can be eaten once a month.