The map to the right provides statewide, regional, and water body-specific advisory information for various fish species. The table lists the recommended fish consumption frequencies for the General Population and High-risk Individuals for waters statewide and for specific water bodies.

By using this advisory, you have the necessary information to make an informed choice on the number of meals of fish to consume. You can reduce your risk further by eating less than the advisory meal frequency, however, this needs to be balanced with the health benefits of eating fish.

The limits that follow each species assume that no other contaminated fish are being eaten. If you eat more than one species of fish listed in the advisory, the total consumption of fish should not exceed the recommended frequency as a guideline for consumption. The best approach is to use the lowest recommended frequency as a guideline for consumption. Example: If you fish Union Lake, you can eat four meals of white perch or you can eat one meal of Largemouth Bass over the course of a month, but not both.

If your specific fishing location is not mentioned within the advisories, this does not mean the fish are free of contamination. Not all New Jersey waters or fish species have been tested, and not all fish species were found in all locations, or in some cases available data were insufficient to list a species for a specific water body. Follow the statewide advisory for the listed species if your fishing area is not mentioned in the guidelines, or follow the statewide advisory of one meal per week for (general Population) or one meal per month (high-risk individuals) for freshwaters.

 

 

For a PDF version of the entire 2012 Fish Advisory Report, please select this link.

(1) High-risk individuals include infants, children, pregnant women, nursing mothers and women of childbearing age.
(2) One meal is defined as an eight-ounce serving
(3) Eat only the fillet portions of the fish. Use proper trimming techniques to remove fat, and cooking methods that
allow juices to drain from the fish (e.g., baking, broiling, frying, grilling, and steaming). See text for full description.
(4) Sunfish includes bluegill, pumpkinseed, and redbreast sunfish.
(5) No harvest means no taking or attempting to take any blue crabs from these waters.
Note: Not all species were found or analyzed in all water bodies, or inadequate data were available to list some
species.
(P) = Pinelands Area
* Selling any of these species from designated water bodies is prohibited in New Jersey.

NOTE: To reduce your exposure, eat those fish with the lowest meal restrictions. Do not combine meal restrictions. (For example, If you eat multiple species or catch fish from more than one area, the recommended guidelines for different species and different locations should not be combined.)

For a PDF version of the entire Fish Advisory Brochure, please select this link.