Catskill Park Fish Advisory

Many people enjoy fishing. The Catskills are rich with rivers, streams, lakes and ponds, and offer wonderful opportunities for fishing.

This information is for people who may eat the fish they catch from waters of the Catskill Park region. Fish are nutritious and good to eat. However, some fish have levels of chemicals that might be harmful to your health or to members of your family.

Know the 1-2-3 Advisories

The New York State Department of Health (DOH) issues advisories for eating sportfish. There are three fish advisories for the Catskill Park region:

  1. The statewide advisory
  2. Advisories for children less than 15 years old and for women who are pregnant or might one day become pregnant
  3. Specific advisories for the Catskill Park and nearby waters.

Knowing these advisories can help you and your family make sportfish part of a healthy diet.

1. Statewide Advisory

Don't eat more than one meal per week of fish taken from any lake, river, stream or pond and some marine waters in New York State. This applies to all people.

2. Advisories for Women and Children (For children less than 15 years old and women who are pregnant or who might one day become pregnant)

Think about the women and children in your life.

DOH offers this special advice because mercury and other chemicals in fish may have a greater effect on babies and young children. Some chemicals also build up in a woman's body and can be passed on to her baby.

Methylmercury, the form of mercury that builds up in fish, can cause effects on the nervous system. Exposure to methylmercury is more of a concern for children and unborn babies because their nervous systems are still developing. Some research on people who eat large amounts of fish finds that methylmercury might affect children's memory, attention and language development.

Regional Advisory

Children less than 15 years old and women who are pregnant or who might one day become pregnant should not eat ANY of the fish below from the Catskill Park and nearby waters because they have higher levels of mercury.

picture of largemouth bass
Largemouth bass		 picture of Northern Pike
Northern Pike		 picture of Pickerel
Pickeral
picture of smallmouth bass
Smallmouth bass		 picture of Walleye
Walleye		 picture of Yellow Perch
Yellow perch greater than 10"

3. Specific Advisories

DOH has issued specific fish advisories for the waters listed below because of higher levels of mercury in fish.

Children less than 15 years old and women who are pregnant or who might one day become pregnant should not eat ANY fish from the waters listed below because they may have higher levels of mercury. Others should follow the waterbody specific advisories for waters listed below or statewide advisory for other waters.

map Ashokan Reservoir (Ulster) Cannonsville Reservoir (Delaware) Loch Sheldrake (Sullivan) Neversink Reservoir (Sullivan) North-South Lake (Greene) Pepacton Reservoir (Delaware) Rondout Reservoir (Sullivan & Ulster) Schoharie Reservoir (Delaware, Greene and Schoharie) Swinging Bridge Reservoir (Sullivan)

Please check for more advisories for waterbodies not listed above (see For More Information, below)

  1. Ashokan Reservoir (Ulster) - EAT NO MORE THAN ONE MEAL PER MONTH of smallmouth bass over 16” and walleye (Map)
  2. Cannonsville Reservoir (Delaware) - EAT NO MORE THAN ONE MEAL PER MONTH of smallmouth bass over 15” and yellow perch (Map)
  3. Loch Sheldrake (Sullivan) - EAT NO MORE THAN ONE MEAL PER MONTH of walleye (Map)
  4. Neversink Reservoir (Sullivan) - EAT NO MORE THAN ONE MEAL PER MONTH of brown trout over 24” and smallmouth bass (Map)
  5. North-South Lake (Greene) - EAT NO MORE THAN ONE MEAL PER MONTH of largemouth bass over 15” (Map)
  6. Pepacton Reservoir (Delaware) - EAT NO MORE THAN ONE MEAL PER MONTH of brown trout over 24”, smallmouth bass over 15” and yellow perch (Map)
  7. Rondout Reservoir (Sullivan & Ulster) - EAT NO MORE THAN ONE MEAL PER MONTH of smallmouth bass over 16” (Map)
  8. Schoharie Reservoir (Delaware, Greene and Schoharie) - EAT NO smallmouth bass over 15” and walleye over 18” and EAT NO MORE THAN ONE MEAL PER MONTH of smaller smallmouth bass and walleye (Map)
  9. Swinging Bridge Reservoir (Sullivan) - EAT NO MORE THAN ONE MEAL PER MONTH of walleye (Map)

Remember the 123 Advisories

There are three kinds of advice about eating fish caught in the Catskill Park region:

  • Statewide advice that applies to everyone about eating one meal per week of fish
  • Advice for women and children about not eating certain fish from the Catskill Park region
  • Waterbody specific advice about eating fish from listed waters

For More Information

Health Advisories: Chemicals in Sportfish and Game. New York State provices advice on eating fish from New York State waters, specific advisories for more than 130 waterbodies and information on the contaminants. It also explains how to reduce your exposures to these contaminants.

For a free copy visit our Fish Advisory website, call: 800-458-1158, ext. 27815 or e-mail: BTSA@health.state.ny.us

Fishing Responsibly in New York State. Provides New York State fishing regulations and catch and release information.

Health Advice for Purchased Fish. U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) provides advice for women of childbearing age and young children for eating purchased fish and shellfish.