VERNON, Conn. — While spring fishing season is well underway, state health and environmental officials have issued an advisory saying that not all of Connecticut's rivers are carrying fish safe for consumption.
The main body of water in question is the Hockanum River, which flows from Vernon to a part of Ellington, down through Manchester and into East Hartford. It then feeds into the Connecticut River.
The Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) tested fish tissue in September 2021 in Vernon between Route 74 and Dart Hill Road. Researchers have since found elevated levels of polyfluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS) in the samples collected.
They sampled 30 fish representing the American Eel, Fallfish and White Sucker; those three species' samples resulted in having PFAS levels above what is considered safe for human consumption.
DEEP and the state Department of Public Health are also advising people to not eat fish from Union Pond, the small impoundments of the Hockanum in East Hartford, and Tankerhoosen River from the Hockanum River upstream to the dam at Main Street.
Water samples collected with the fish tissue in Vernon below Shenipsit Lake met drinking water guidelines, officials said. The last drinking water sample Connecticut Water Company collected showed no PFAS above laboratory limits. The advisory does not affect Shenipist Lake or the public drinking water supply.
Boating and catch & release fishing are still considered safe, DEEP said.
Nearly 2,100 trout were stocked into the Hockanum River this past March before the safety advisory was released. However, they will not stock any more fish in the Hockanum this spring.
The samples collected are part of a larger study that is expected to end in 2022.
Long-term exposure to PFAS, which is found in firefighting foam, is believed to be connected to higher cholesterol, high blood pressure, and several types of cancers.
Leah Myers is a digital content producer at FOX61 News. She can be reached at lmyers@fox61.com
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