Prairie State Wire

The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) has released its annual update on advisories for consuming sport fish from Illinois waterways. These advisories stem from routine testing by the Illinois Fish Contaminant Monitoring Program.

IDPH provides an interactive Fish Advisory Map with consumption guidelines for over 100 publicly accessible bodies of water in Illinois. The advisories indicate how often certain fish from different locations can be consumed without health risks. Although there is no immediate health threat from eating fish from Illinois waters, long-term exposure to substances like polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB), per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), and methylmercury is a concern.

IDPH Director Dr. Sameer Vohra stated, “Fishing in Illinois is a terrific recreational activity that often leads to delicious and nutritious meals. To make sure those catches are the safest possible, please visit IDPH’s Fish Advisory Map to get the most up to date information on Illinois’s consumption advisories.”

This year, five bodies of water were added to the advisory list: Duck Creek Lake, Schuy-Rush Lake, Rock Run Rookery, Waukegan South Harbor, and Waverly Lake. Updates were made for Cedar Lake, Chaminwood Lake, Dongola Lake, Dutchman Lake, Illinois River, and Wolf Lake and Indian Creek, mainly due to mercury and continued PFAS testing, integrated into statewide monitoring in 2023. Four water bodies, Big Muddy River, Lake Bracken, Monee Reservoir, and Randolph County Lake saw relaxed advisories.

A statewide methylmercury advisory continues for all Illinois waters, advising women who are nursing, pregnant, or may become pregnant and children under 15 to consume no more than one meal per week of predatory fish like bass, walleye, and salmon.

More details on these advisories can be found on the IDPH website.