Don’t Eat the Fish

October 8, 2020

Question: Why is there a sign saying do not consume bass or striper caught in the river at the Rio Vista Pier? (Donn)

Answer: That sign was based on an advisory developed by the California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA), the agency responsible for issuing consumption advice for recreationally caught fish. On May 20, 2020, OEHHA updated this advisory to include advice for 18 fish species in the Sacramento River and northern Delta, based on mercury and other chemical contaminants in the water. OEHHA provides separate safe eating advice for members of the public who are likely to be sensitive to contaminants (women 18-49 years and children 1-17 years) and the general population (women over 50 years and men over 18 years). The advice for striped bass remains the same, although the age range for the sensitive population has changed: women 18-49 and children 1-17 should not eat striped bass and women 50 years and older and men 18 years and older can eat up to 2 servings per week of striped bass.

The advisory covers the Sacramento River from just below Shasta Lake to where it joins the San Joaquin River in Pittsburg, and also applies to creeks, sloughs and other water bodies in the northern Delta that are north of Highway 12. The area includes portions of Butte, Colusa, Glenn, Shasta, Sacramento, Solano, Sutter, Tehama and Yolo counties.

You can find more details about that advisory (including two posters) on OEHHA’s website.