LANSING, Mich. — The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) released the 2023 update to its Eat Safe Fish Guides— guidelines for eating fish caught locally.
MDHHS says these guidelines are based on levels of chemicals found in the portions of fish that people eat, typically filets.
Test results from the MDHHS Bureau of Laboratories are used to determine what’s safe, in the long run, for people to eat.
“There are many health benefits to eating fish and the Eat Safe Fish Guides help individuals choose the fish that are best for them and their families,” MDHHS Chief Medical Executive Dr. Natasha Bagdasarian said.
Chemicals in fish are a worldwide issue. Those most commonly found in fish are mercury and PCBs.
Additional chemicals, like perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), have also been found in fish, resulting in these guidelines for fish from certain bodies of water in Michigan.
Similar to mercury, PFOS cannot be removed by trimming away the fat on the fish because the chemical is stored in the filet.
The state hopes Michigan fish consumers will use these guidelines so they can be confident they’re making informed choices about eating the fish they catch in local lakes and rivers.
The 2023 Eat Safe Fish Guides include recommendations for locally caught smelt, based on elevated levels of PFOS found in smelt:
- Lake Huron: 6 servings per year
- Lake Michigan: 1 serving per month
- Lake Superior: 1 serving per month (has not changed from 2022)
- Gull Lake— Kalamazoo County: 2 servings per month
- Higgins Lake— Roscommon County: 4 servings per month
- Portage Lake— Houghton County: 1 serving per month
Meanwhile, the “Do Not Eat” fish advisory, originally issued in 2018, remains in effect for a large stretch of the Huron River because of boosted PFOS levels.
The advisory starts downstream from where the river crosses N. Wixom Road in Oakland County to where the river crosses I-275 in Wayne County.
Additionally, it includes the following bodies of water:
- Argo Pond— Washtenaw County
- Barton Pond— Washtenaw County
- Base Line Lake— Livingston/Washtenaw county line
- Belleville Lake— Wayne County
- Ford Lake— Washtenaw County
- Gallagher Lake— Livingston County
- Geddes Pond— Washtenaw County
- Hubbell Pond, also known as Mill Pond— Oakland County
- Kent Lake— Oakland County
- Loon Lake— Livingston County
- Norton Creek— Oakland County
- Ore Lake— Livingston County
- Portage Lake— Livingston/Washtenaw county line
- Strawberry Lake— Livingston County
- Whitewood Lakes— Livingston County
- Zukey Lake— Livingston County
MDHHS says these guidelines are neither laws nor regulations, and you are not required to follow them.
Instead, the guides are a free resources to be used for more information about which fish, and how much of those fish, are healthy to eat from various bodies of water throughout Michigan.
Click here for more information on how to buy, prepare and eat safe fish, or to view the 2023 Eat Safe Fish Guide for your region.
