Great Lakes safe fish guidelines: How much fish you can safely eat per month | FOX 2 Detroit
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Great Lakes safe fish guidelines: How much fish you can safely eat per month

By Jack Nissen
Published  June 2, 2025 4:45pm EDT
Environment
FOX 2 Detroit
The WeatherDaddy teaches the Weatherboys to fish

The WeatherDaddy teaches the Weatherboys to fish

If you think fishing is about catching fish, you've got it twisted.

The Brief

    • Trout, carp, bass, and smelt - there are dozens of species of fish that call Michigan rivers and the Great Lakes home.
    • The health department released its Eat Safe Fish Guide for anyone planning on harvesting and eating the fish.
    • Due to chemicals of concern, there are some fish species that should be consumed sparingly, according to MDHHS.

(FOX 2) - Michigan is home to some of the best fishing in the world, depending on the kind of species someone is after. 

But toxins like PFAS, mercury, and other ‘forever chemicals’ mean not every fish species can be consumed at the same rate, with some posing a greater risk while eating them.

Big picture view:

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services has released its 2025 guidelines for safely eating fish caught in the state.

Consumption guidelines are based on the levels of chemicals found in portions of fish that people eat, including salmon, carp, catfish, trout, whitefish, steelhead, pike, and smelt. 

The guide includes types of fish, the chemicals of concern they may have ingested, where they were caught, and how many services are advised. Depending on what species was harvested and where it was caught, it can play a role in how much someone can safely eat. 

In the case of carp caught in Saginaw Bay, there is no healthy amount that should be eaten, MDHHS says. But for those eating walleye caught in Saginaw Bay, someone can safely eat up to six fish a year. 

Dig deeper:

The guide is not a law, but a recommendation about how much someone can safely consume fish caught in Michigan waters.

In the safe fish-eating guide, the health department includes how the serving size changes, depending on whether mercury or PFOS is listed as a chemical of concern, and if the recommendation is designated as limited. 

When either chemical is not present, then you can double the monthly portion. For more information on the adjustments, find each fish guide here.

A full breakdown of fish caught in the Great Lakes and safe consumption recommendations is below:

Lake Huron

  • Atlantic Salmon - 2 servings per month (Dioxins)
  • Brown Trout - 6 servings per year (PCBs)
  • Carp - Do Not Eat (Dioxins, PCBs)
  • Catfish - Limited consumption (Dioxins)
  • Chinook Salmon - 6 servings per year (PCBs)
  • Coho Salmon - 6 servings per year (PCBs)
  • Freshwater Drum - 1 serving per month (Mercury)
  • Lake Herring - 2 servings per month (PFOS)
  • Lake Trout - Limited consumption (Dioxins, PCBs)
  • Lake Whitefish - 6 servings per year (Dioxins)
  • Northern Pike - 1 serving per month (PCBs)
  • Rainbow Trout - 1 serving per month (PFOS)
  • Smelt - 2 servings per month (PFOS)
  • Steelhead - 1 serving per month (PFOS)
  • Suckers - 2 servings per month (PCBs)
  • Walleye - 6 servings per year (Dioxins)
  • White (Silver) Bass - Limited (Dioxins, PCBs)
  • White Perch - 6 servings per year (PCBs)
  • Yellow Perch - 2 servings per month (Dioxins)

Lake Erie

  • Carp - Do Not Eat (PCBs)
  • Catfish - Limited (Dioxins, PCBs)
  • Chinook Salmon - Limited (PCBs)
  • Coho Salmon - Limited (PCBs)
  • Freshwater Drum - Limited (PCBs)
  • Lake Whitefish - Limited (PCBs)
  • Largemouth Bass - Limited (PCBs)
  • Rainbow Trout - Limited (PCBs)
  • Smallmouth Bass - Limited (PCBs)
  • Steelhead - Limited (PCBs)
  • Walleye - 6 servings per year (Dioxins, PCBs, PFOS)
  • White (Silver) Bass - Limited (PCBs)
  • White Perch - Limited (PCBs)
  • Yellow Perch - 2 servings per month (PCBs)

Lake Michigan

  • Brown Trout - Limited (PCBs)
  • Burbot - 1 serving per month (PCBs)
  • Carp - Do Not Eat (PCBs)
  • Chinook Salmon - 6 servings per year (PCBs)
  • Coho Salmon 1 serving per month (PCBs)
  • Lake Herring - 2 servings per month (PCBs, PFOS)
  • Lake Trout - Limited (Dioxins)
  • Lake Whitefish - 6 servings per year (Dioxins, PCBs)
  • Largemouth Bass - 1 serving per month (Mercury, PCBs)
  • Rainbow Trout - 1 serving per month (PCBs)
  • Smallmouth Bass - 1 serving per month (Mercury, PCBs)
  • Smelt - 1 serving per month (PFOS)
  • Steelhead - 1 serving per month (PCBs)
  • Suckers - 6 servings per year (PCBs)
  • Walleye - Limited (Mercury, PCBs, PFOS)
  • Yellow Perch - 4 servings per month (PCBs, Mercury)

Lake Superior

  • Brown Trout - 1 serving per month (PCBs)
  • Burbot Mercury Any 2 (Mercury)
  • Chinook Salmon - 6 servings per year (PCBs)
  • Coho Salmon - 4 servings per month (PCBs, Toxaphene)
  • Lake Herring - 4 servings per month (PFOS)
  • Lake Trout - 2 servings per month (PCBs, Toxaphene)
  • Lake Whitefish - 1 serving per month (Dioxins)
  • Northern Pike - 2 servings per month (Mercury)
  • Rainbow Trout - 2 servings per month (PCBs)
  • Siscowet - Limited (PCBs, Toxaphene)
  • Smelt - 8 servings per month (PFOS)
  • Steelhead - 2 servings per month (PCBs)
  • Suckers - 2 servings per month (Toxaphene)
  • Walleye - 2 servings per month (Mercury)
  • Yellow Perch - 2 servings per month (Mercury)

The Source: The annual Michigan Safe Fish Guidelines was released, from which this story cites. 

EnvironmentMichiganHunting and FishingHealth