Frequently Asked Questions

If the fish are already tested, why do we need legislation for fish consumption advisories?

  • This legislation would make sure the fish advisory program is codified into law and the roles/responsibilities of the three agencies involved are clearly defined. 

  • Public outreach about contaminated fish and local advisories is desperately needed! ADEM’s maps are outdated and the state provides anglers with no way to access fish advisory information without an internet connection.

  • This piece of legislation could also let anglers know when they are fishing near pollution outfalls, so they can make more educated decisions.


Do people commonly eat fish caught from Alabama’s waterways?

  • ADEM recognized the popularity of eating fish in the 1990s when they published a study determining that Alabamians eat more fish (per capita) than the EPA’s recommended amount averaged for the nation to use for fish advisory calculations. ADEM has used this higher consumption number for its calculations and determinations for environmental regulation since. ADEM 1993 Estimation of fish consumption

  • As an example, the majority of anglers Coosa Riverkeeper has interviewed do eat fish they catch. Coosa Riverkeeper has interviewed over 450 anglers throughout the Coosa River watershed from 2020-2023 and found fish consumption to be very popular, despite the heavy impact from existing fish advisories.

Should people eat fish caught in Alabama?

  • Fish are a great source of lean protein and contain heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids. The EPA recommends that American adults consume fish regularly as a part of a healthy lifestyle. To get those health benefits, adults should eat at least 2 meals of fish or seafood each week.

  • Alabamians should strive to eat fish from waterways tested within the last 5-10 years and found to be free of pollutants. Our state agencies should direct the public to these waterways.

How do fish get polluted, and then how does that pollution get into humans?

  • Pollutants get into waterways by industrial and water treatment discharge pipes, agricultural practices, stormwater runoff, and other nonpoint source pollution.

  • Once pollutants are in our waterways, fish and other aquatic organisms absorb pollutants from the water and the food they eat. As prey fish and plants are eaten by other predators, the concentration of pollutants increases as they travel higher in the food chain. 

  • Humans also absorb pollutants when eating contaminated sources of food, like fish under an advisory. Anglers often select meaty predator fish, like striped bass, or bottom-feeders, like catfish, that tend to get more polluted over their lifetime than small, prey fish like bream. Eat smaller, younger fish!

  • Organic pollutants, like PCBs and some pesticides, are fat-soluble and will stay in a fish and a human’s fatty tissues

What kind of illnesses or health conditions can eating fish under advisory lead to?

  • Many contaminants found in fish tissue are probable carcinogens & neurotoxins. Most health impacts from eating polluted fish are long-term, lifetime health concerns. 

  • Advisories are especially alarming for “at-risk” groups that face higher health risks from eating polluted fish due to their size, age, or fertility status. Groups at higher risk are people who eat a lot of fish, the elderly, children, and those who are pregnant, nursing, or want to protect their future fertility. 

Pregnancy, infants, & children: All of the pollutants that result in Alabama’s fish advisories are particularly health-hazardous and risky for developing children, fetuses, and those who are pregnant, nursing, or may want to have children in the future. Lower body sizes in infants and children mean a much smaller threshold of pollutants can cause bodily harm. 

  • Mercury: EPA “Nearly all fish and shellfish contain traces of mercury, no matter what body of water they come from. The risk from consuming mercury by eating fish and shellfish may include harm to an unborn baby or a young child's developing nervous system if the mercury levels are high enough.” ADPH “Too much consumption of fish with high levels of mercury may lead to heart disease in adults.”

  • PCBs: PCBs can cause a myriad of health impacts over long exposures and be acutely toxic if in high levels. Health impacts range from: PCBs being a probable carcinogen, PCBs are hormone disruptors, PCBs can impact the immune system and thyroid, and PCBs cause significant impacts to fertility and child development. PCBs have been found to cause fertility and developmental issues regardless of sex. People have been documented to experience taking a longer time to get pregnant and fewer overall pregnancies after exposure to PCBs. 

    Sources: EPA Fish & Shellfish Advisories & Safe Eating Guidelines, Alabama Fish Consumption Advisories 2022, Summary of PCB Human Health Effects papers

Will signs discourage folks from fishing?

  • No. Signs simply allow anglers and their families to choose to eat fish in areas that are found to be free of pollutants. 

Are there fish consumption advisories or is there industrial pollution near me?

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