Fishing Advisories

Fish Consumption Advice and Advisories in North Carolina

* * * Statewide Warnings * * *


Pollutant: Mercury

Women of Childbearing Age (15-44 years), Pregnant Women, Nursing Women, and Children under 15:

  • DO NOT eat fish high in mercury.
  • Eat no more than two meals* per week of fish low in mercury.

All Other Individuals:

  • Eat no more than one meal* per week of fish high in mercury.
  • Eat no more than four meals* per week of fish low in mercury.

View North Carolina's Advice on Eating Fish
Spanish: ¿Cuáles pescados son seguros para comer?

*A meal is 6 ounces of uncooked fish for adults, or 2 ounces of uncooked fish for children under 15.

Fresh Water Fish High in Mercury include:
Blackfish (bowfin)
Black crappie
Catfish (caught wild)
Jack fish (chain pickerel)
Largemouth bass (statewide)
Walleye from Lake Fontana and Lake Santeetlah (Graham and Swain counties)
Warmouth
Yellow Perch

For a complete list of fish to avoid, visit the NC Fish Advisory website.

* * * Site-Specific Warnings * * *

Site:  Badin Lake in Stanly and Montgomery Counties
Pollutant:  Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs)

Elevated levels of chemicals called PCBs, along with mercury, may be found in catfish and large mouth bass in these waters. Pregnant women, women who may become pregnant, and children under 15 should avoid eating catfish and large mouth bass from this lake due to high levels of mercury as well as PCBs. Other people should eat no more than one meal per week of catfish and large mouth bass from this lake.

Badin Lake Fish Study Fact Sheet [English] (pdf)
Badin Lake Fish Study FAQs [English] (pdf)