HARTFORD, Conn. — State health officials are warning fishing enthusiasts to take some precautions if they decide to eat their catch from 11 of these Connecticut's rivers and bodies of water.
The Connecticut Department of Public Health (DPH) warns to reduce or modify the consumption of freshwater fish caught in the following rivers:
- Connecticut River - One meal per month for all species except Shad
- Lower Farmington River - One meal per month for Yellow Perch and Bass
- Housatonic River (near O'Sullivan's Island in Derby) - One meal per month for all species
- Natchaug River - Do not eat Bass, one meal per month for all other species
- Willimantic River - Do not eat Bass, one meal per month for all other species
- Shetucket River - Do not eat Bass, one meal per month for all other species
- Naugatuck River - One meal per month for Bass
- Pequabuck River - One meal per month for American Eel
- Still River (Winchester) - One meal per month for Bass
- Scantic River - One meal per month for American Eel
- Quinnipiac River - One meal per month for all species
Why is this? These bodies of water and the fish in them have been tested, and were found to have concentrations of perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS), which is part of a group of forever chemicals known as polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). Health officials warn that exposure to these chemicals would be harmful to one's health.
"Long-term exposure to PFAS may be associated with increased levels of cholesterol and liver enzymes, a change in immune response, developmental effects, increased chance of high blood pressure and/or increased chance of pre-eclampsia during pregnancy, and an increased chance of thyroid disease,” said DPH Commissioner Manisha Juthani, MD.
The Hockanum, Tankerhoosen, and the Upper Housatonic Rivers were also tested, and health officials determined that it was not necessary to modify current consumption advisories for those rivers. The river water and fish tissue were sampled in 2017-2022 for PFOS concentrations.
“Evaluating PFAS levels in fish collected from these 14 waterbodies represents significant progress towards protecting the health of our angling community," said Katie Dykes, the Commissioner for the Dept. of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP).
This is in addition to a pre-existing statewide advisory on consuming fish contaminated with mercury, advising high-risk groups to eat freshwater fish no more than once a month and all others to eat the fish no more than once a week. Sunfish and trout are not applicable to this mercury consumption advisory.
Information on the latest DPH fish consumption advisories can be found here or call 1-877-458-FISH (3474).
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