Do not eat fish from these SE Michigan lakes, rivers, and ponds
DETROIT (FOX 2) - Do not Eat fish advisories remain in effect for several Southeast Michigan bodies of water.
The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) has released the 2022 regional Eat Safe Fish Guides on Monday. The guides provide guidelines for eating locally caught fish to reduce exposure to chemicals.
MORE: How much fish you should eat in a month
These are not laws, but suggestions to keep people safe.
The guides include a Do Not Eat advisory for bluegill and sunfish caught in the Lower Branch of the Rouge River and the Main Branch of the Rouge River from the Ford Estate Dam to the Detroit River due to high levels of perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS), a type of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substance (PFAS).
Other species of fish collected in 2019 and 2021 from this same stretch of the river were found to be contaminated with PFOS, but not at levels that call for a ‘Do Not Eat’ advisory.
A Do Not Eat advisory was lifted from the Huron River from where it crosses I-275 in Wayne County to the river mouth at Lake Erie, except for certain species:
- Bluegill and sunfish have a recommended eight MI Servings per month due to PFOS.
- Carp have a recommended ‘Limited’ category for fish less than 28" and a recommended ‘Do Not Eat’ category for fish greater than 28" due to polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and dioxins.
- Fish with a ‘Limited’ category should not be eaten by people under the age of 15, those who have health problems like cancer or diabetes, those who may have children in the next several years, those who are pregnant or those who are breastfeeding. People who do not fall under any of those categories are recommended to limit their consumption to one to two servings each year.
- Catfish have a recommended one MI Serving per month due to PCBs.
- Largemouth and smallmouth bass have a recommended four MI Servings per month due to PCBs and mercury.
- Rock bass still have a recommended ‘Do Not Eat’ advisory due to PFOS.
These rivers, lakes, and ponds are under Do Not Eat advisories for all fish:
- Huron River from where the river crosses N. Wixom Road in Oakland County to where the river crosses I-275.
- Norton Creek (Oakland County)
- Hubbell Pond also known as Mill Pond (Oakland County)
- Kent Lake (Oakland County)
- Ore Lake (Livingston County)
- Strawberry & Zukey Lakes (Livingston County)
- Gallagher Lake (Livingston County)
- Loon Lake (Livingston County)
- Whitewood Lakes (Livingston County)
- Base Line & Portage Lakes (Livingston/Washtenaw County line)
- Barton Pond (Washtenaw County)
- Geddes Pond (Washtenaw County)
- Argo Pond (Washtenaw County)
- Ford Lake (Washtenaw County)
- Belleville Lake (Wayne County)
View the full Southeast Michigan Eat Safe Fish Guide below. (Click here if you can't see it):