Virginia Fishing Reports
  • Home
  • Lake Fishing Reports
    • Back Bay
    • Briery Creek & Sandy River Reservoirs
    • Buggs Island Lake
    • Burke Lake
    • Chickahominy Lake
    • Claytor Lake
    • Diascund Reservoir
    • Farm Ponds
    • Lake Anna
    • Lake Chesdin
    • Lake Frederick
    • Lake Gaston
    • Leesville Lake
    • Lake Moomaw
    • Little Creek Reservoir
    • Occoquan Reservoir
    • Philpott Lake
    • Smith Mountain Lake
    • South Holsten Reservoir
    • Suffolk Lakes
    • Mid-Atlantic Freshwater Reports
    • Mixed Freshwater Reports
    • Miscellaneous Lake Reports
  • River Fishing Reports
    • Chickahominy River
    • Holsten River, South Fork
    • Jackson River
    • James River
    • Mattaponi / Pamunkey Rivers
    • Mossy Creek
    • New River
    • Occoquan River
    • Potomac River
    • Rappahannock River
    • Rivanna River
    • Shenandoah River
    • Small Streams
    • Miscellaneous Rivers & Streams
  • Saltwater Fishing Reports
    • Saltwater Reports
    • Mid-Atlantic Saltwater Fishing Reports
    • Saltwater Citation Reports
  • Tournament Reports
    • Buggs Island Lake
    • Lake Anna
    • Lake Gaston
    • Leesville Lake
    • Smith Mountain Lake
  • Upcoming Tournaments
    • Buggs Island Lake Tournaments
    • Chickahominy River Tournaments
    • Lake Gaston Tournaments
    • Smith Mountain Lake Tournaments
    • Miscellaneous Tournaments
    • Saltwater Tournaments
  • VDGIF Reports
    • 2017 Virginia Rivers and Smallmouth Bass Report
    • 2017/18 Tidal Bass Report
    • Virginia Reservoirs Ranked for Largemouth Bass Report
    • 2017/18 Tidal Blue Catfish Report
  • Virginia Fish
  • Where to Fish - Virginia Lakes
  • Where to Fish - Virginia Rivers & Streams
  • Virginia's Trophy Fish
  • Virginia State Record Fish
  • Virginia Fisherman Identification Program (FIP)
  • Virginia General Fishing Library
    • Virginia Fish Consumption advisories
    • Northern Snakehead Information
    • World Record Snakehead
    • Virginia’s Best Freshwater Fall Fishing
    • Virginia’s Top Lakes
    • 13 Local Fishing Spots in Virginia's Blue Ridge
    • 2018 Virginia Fishing Calendar
    • Didymo (Invasive Freshwater Algae) in Virginia
    • 2017 Virginia Impoundment Report
    • 16 Amazing Spots to Fish in Virginia
    • Virginia's Baitfish
    • Virginia Trophy Size Fish Chart
  • Virginia Bass Fishing Library
    • 2018 Virginia Largemouth Bass Fishing Forecast
    • The best smallmouth bass streams in Virginia
    • 2017 Top Places for Bass Fishing in Virginia
    • Aggressive Techniques for Virginia River Smallmouths
    • Virginia Reservoirs Ranked for Largemouth Bass Fishing
    • 2017 Tidal Bass Outlook
    • Where to Catch Virginia's Trophy Largemouth Bass
    • 2017 Top Virginia Bass Fishing Spots
    • Virginia Smallmouth Bass Rivers Overview Report
    • Largemouth Bass Virus in Virginia
    • Virginia Bass Fishing
    • 2017 Annual Virginia Rivers and Smallmouth Bass Fishing Outlook
    • Fishing The Shenandoah River
    • Fly Fishing for Smallmouth Bass in September and October on the Shenandoah River
  • Virginia Striped Bass Fishing Library
    • Striper Mafia Tournament Series Returns
    • Parasites Remain in Smith Mountain Lake Striped Bass
    • Striped Bass Age - Length - Weight Chart
    • Smith Mountain Lake striped bass fishery in decline
    • Big stripers reach 20-year high at Smith Mountain Lake
    • Lake Gaston Striped Bass Fishing
    • Hit Lake Gaston for Winter Stripers
    • Lake Anna Striped Bass Fishing
    • Lake Anna Gains a New Species
    • Striped Bass Fishing Looking Up at Kerr
    • Buggs Island Lake: Top Area Striper Water
    • Stripers Life Begins in Small Hatchery
  • Virgiinia Catfishing Library
    • New Virginia State Record Flathead Catfish
    • 2018 Virginia Catfish Forecast
    • Your Guide To Virginia’s Best Catfish Angling
    • World Record catfish caught at Buggs Island Lake
    • Big flathead catfish on the James River
    • Fishing for Catfish With Stephen Miklandric
    • Virginia's giant catfish are spreading
    • Monster blue catfish finding mixed reception
    • How did a Virginia lake produce a 143-pound catfish?
    • 2017/18 Tidal Blue Catfish Outlook
    • Real cool cats - How to catch Kerr Lake's catfish
  • Virginia Crappie Fishing Library
    • Virginia’s Best Crappie Fishing
    • Buggs Island has deep, slab crappie
    • Virginia’s best Crappie fishing waters
    • Get to Buggs Island Lake for great crappie fishing
    • Save the Crappies!
    • Kerr is king of Virginia's crappie fishing -- but it's no pushover
    • Kerr Lake Crappie Showing in Large Numbers
  • Virginia Saltwater Fishing Library
    • Best Bets for Saltwater Fishing In Virginia
    • Spadefish Virginia’s version of an Angel Fish
    • Red Drum and Black Drum on the Chesapeake Bay
    • Virginia Flounder
    • Summer Cobia fishing in Virginia Beach
    • Mahi-Mahi Fishing Off Virginia Beach
    • Chesapeake Bay Spot Fishing
    • Atlantic Swordfish Fishing Off Virginia Beach
    • Fishing Piers in Newport News, Virginia
    • Where Have All the Big Fish Gone?
    • Coastal striped bass a no-show, but that could be changing
  • Links
Picture

Virginia Fish Consumption Advisories
by the Virginia Department of Health

Picture
Fish consumption advisories help Virginia anglers make educated choices about eating the fish they catch. While most Virginia waters do not have dangerous levels of contaminants, some fish in certain waters are found to contain contaminants at levels of concern. The Department of Environmental Quality – Water Monitoring and Assessment, Fish Tissue and Sediment Contaminants Monitoring Program conducts routine studies of fish tissue and sediment samples in state waters. More information about this program can be found here. VDH uses this fish tissue sampling data to update and create new advisories as needed when the contaminants in fish exceed levels of concerns. Advisories provide guidance to the public to make informed choices about eating locally caught fish.

Picture
CONTAMINANTS IN FISH

Contaminants such as mercury, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and Kepone can be found in some species of fish in Virginia waterways. These contaminants can enter waterways in a variety of ways, including illegal dumping or accidental release. Mercury can enter waterways through atmospheric deposition from sources very far away. Fish and shellfish are also known to be a dietary sources of organic arsenic. The amount of organic arsenic found in fish and shellfish is usually 90 % of the total arsenic, and is known to have low toxicity for humans. Therefore, fish consumption advisories due to arsenic in fish are very rare.

Picture
Most of the fish consumption advisories in Virginia are for mercury and PCBs. When these contaminants are present in waterbodies they are known to bioaccumulate, which means that they can accumulate in fish tissues over time. Furthermore, they can biomagnify, which means that the concentration of the chemicals found in fish tissues will increase as they move up the food chain. For this reason, older, larger fish, and carnivorous fish tend to be the ones that have advisories. For information about the health effects associated with consuming mercury and PCBs, please click on FAQ: Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs) and Mercury Fish Consumption Advisories.

Picture
CURRENT FISH CONSUMPTION ADVISORIES

A fish consumption advisory is not a prohibition of eating fish, but a warning about the contaminants present in a fish species. Each advisory specifies the location of contamination within the waterbody, the affected localities, the contaminants present, the species of fish involved, and meal recommendations on eating certain fish species caught from specified waterbodies. The meal recommendations presented in the fish advisory tables were developed to protect the general public from adverse health effects from exposure to fish contaminants. It is recommended to follow the guidance presented on advisories to reduce your total exposure to fish contaminants.*Women who are pregnant or may become pregnant, nursing mothers, and young children are advised not to eat any fish contaminated either with polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) or mercury from the respective advisory areas.

Click HERE to use our new, interactive map of Virginia’s fish consumption advisories. Scroll in to your area of interest and click on the highlighted body of water for details about VDH’s advisories for affected waterbodies. You can also use the “my location feature” on the left side of the page to zoom to your current location.

Picture
Picture
HEALTH BENEFITS OF EATING FISH

Fish provide substantial human health benefits. They are low in saturated fat, high in protein, and a good source of omega-3 fatty acids. Fish contain vitamin D, calcium, iron, magnesium, as well as other nutrients that are beneficial for human health. Fish consumption has been linked to a decreased risk of heart attack, stroke, and high blood pressure. Fish consumption may also contribute to immune system strengthening, healthy brain functioning, and proper infant growth and development. To achieve the health benefits of eating fish, it is advised to eat a variety of fish and shellfish that are low in mercury such as salmon, tilapia, shrimp, oysters, scallops, and sardines.

Picture
RECOMMENDATIONS FOR COOKING AND PREPARING FISH

You can reduce the fat and contaminants (e.g. pesticides, PCBs) in the fish you eat. To reduce the potential harmful effects from eating contaminated fish, VDH recommends the following:

•Eat smaller, younger fish. Younger fish are less likely to contain harmful levels of contaminants than older, larger fish.

•Remove the skin, the fat from the belly and top, and the internal organs before cooking the fish.

•Bake, broil, or grill on an open rack to allow fats to drain. Avoid pan frying in butter or animal fat because these methods hold fat juices.

•Discard the fat that cooks out of the fish, and avoid or reduce the amount of fish drippings that are used to flavor the meal.

•Eat less deep fried fish since frying seals contaminants into the fatty tissue.

Click HERE to find the Virginia Fish Consumption Charts



Picture
Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.
  • Home
  • Lake Fishing Reports
    • Back Bay
    • Briery Creek & Sandy River Reservoirs
    • Buggs Island Lake
    • Burke Lake
    • Chickahominy Lake
    • Claytor Lake
    • Diascund Reservoir
    • Farm Ponds
    • Lake Anna
    • Lake Chesdin
    • Lake Frederick
    • Lake Gaston
    • Leesville Lake
    • Lake Moomaw
    • Little Creek Reservoir
    • Occoquan Reservoir
    • Philpott Lake
    • Smith Mountain Lake
    • South Holsten Reservoir
    • Suffolk Lakes
    • Mid-Atlantic Freshwater Reports
    • Mixed Freshwater Reports
    • Miscellaneous Lake Reports
  • River Fishing Reports
    • Chickahominy River
    • Holsten River, South Fork
    • Jackson River
    • James River
    • Mattaponi / Pamunkey Rivers
    • Mossy Creek
    • New River
    • Occoquan River
    • Potomac River
    • Rappahannock River
    • Rivanna River
    • Shenandoah River
    • Small Streams
    • Miscellaneous Rivers & Streams
  • Saltwater Fishing Reports
    • Saltwater Reports
    • Mid-Atlantic Saltwater Fishing Reports
    • Saltwater Citation Reports
  • Tournament Reports
    • Buggs Island Lake
    • Lake Anna
    • Lake Gaston
    • Leesville Lake
    • Smith Mountain Lake
  • Upcoming Tournaments
    • Buggs Island Lake Tournaments
    • Chickahominy River Tournaments
    • Lake Gaston Tournaments
    • Smith Mountain Lake Tournaments
    • Miscellaneous Tournaments
    • Saltwater Tournaments
  • VDGIF Reports
    • 2017 Virginia Rivers and Smallmouth Bass Report
    • 2017/18 Tidal Bass Report
    • Virginia Reservoirs Ranked for Largemouth Bass Report
    • 2017/18 Tidal Blue Catfish Report
  • Virginia Fish
  • Where to Fish - Virginia Lakes
  • Where to Fish - Virginia Rivers & Streams
  • Virginia's Trophy Fish
  • Virginia State Record Fish
  • Virginia Fisherman Identification Program (FIP)
  • Virginia General Fishing Library
    • Virginia Fish Consumption advisories
    • Northern Snakehead Information
    • World Record Snakehead
    • Virginia’s Best Freshwater Fall Fishing
    • Virginia’s Top Lakes
    • 13 Local Fishing Spots in Virginia's Blue Ridge
    • 2018 Virginia Fishing Calendar
    • Didymo (Invasive Freshwater Algae) in Virginia
    • 2017 Virginia Impoundment Report
    • 16 Amazing Spots to Fish in Virginia
    • Virginia's Baitfish
    • Virginia Trophy Size Fish Chart
  • Virginia Bass Fishing Library
    • 2018 Virginia Largemouth Bass Fishing Forecast
    • The best smallmouth bass streams in Virginia
    • 2017 Top Places for Bass Fishing in Virginia
    • Aggressive Techniques for Virginia River Smallmouths
    • Virginia Reservoirs Ranked for Largemouth Bass Fishing
    • 2017 Tidal Bass Outlook
    • Where to Catch Virginia's Trophy Largemouth Bass
    • 2017 Top Virginia Bass Fishing Spots
    • Virginia Smallmouth Bass Rivers Overview Report
    • Largemouth Bass Virus in Virginia
    • Virginia Bass Fishing
    • 2017 Annual Virginia Rivers and Smallmouth Bass Fishing Outlook
    • Fishing The Shenandoah River
    • Fly Fishing for Smallmouth Bass in September and October on the Shenandoah River
  • Virginia Striped Bass Fishing Library
    • Striper Mafia Tournament Series Returns
    • Parasites Remain in Smith Mountain Lake Striped Bass
    • Striped Bass Age - Length - Weight Chart
    • Smith Mountain Lake striped bass fishery in decline
    • Big stripers reach 20-year high at Smith Mountain Lake
    • Lake Gaston Striped Bass Fishing
    • Hit Lake Gaston for Winter Stripers
    • Lake Anna Striped Bass Fishing
    • Lake Anna Gains a New Species
    • Striped Bass Fishing Looking Up at Kerr
    • Buggs Island Lake: Top Area Striper Water
    • Stripers Life Begins in Small Hatchery
  • Virgiinia Catfishing Library
    • New Virginia State Record Flathead Catfish
    • 2018 Virginia Catfish Forecast
    • Your Guide To Virginia’s Best Catfish Angling
    • World Record catfish caught at Buggs Island Lake
    • Big flathead catfish on the James River
    • Fishing for Catfish With Stephen Miklandric
    • Virginia's giant catfish are spreading
    • Monster blue catfish finding mixed reception
    • How did a Virginia lake produce a 143-pound catfish?
    • 2017/18 Tidal Blue Catfish Outlook
    • Real cool cats - How to catch Kerr Lake's catfish
  • Virginia Crappie Fishing Library
    • Virginia’s Best Crappie Fishing
    • Buggs Island has deep, slab crappie
    • Virginia’s best Crappie fishing waters
    • Get to Buggs Island Lake for great crappie fishing
    • Save the Crappies!
    • Kerr is king of Virginia's crappie fishing -- but it's no pushover
    • Kerr Lake Crappie Showing in Large Numbers
  • Virginia Saltwater Fishing Library
    • Best Bets for Saltwater Fishing In Virginia
    • Spadefish Virginia’s version of an Angel Fish
    • Red Drum and Black Drum on the Chesapeake Bay
    • Virginia Flounder
    • Summer Cobia fishing in Virginia Beach
    • Mahi-Mahi Fishing Off Virginia Beach
    • Chesapeake Bay Spot Fishing
    • Atlantic Swordfish Fishing Off Virginia Beach
    • Fishing Piers in Newport News, Virginia
    • Where Have All the Big Fish Gone?
    • Coastal striped bass a no-show, but that could be changing
  • Links