New York State Department of Health Updates Waterbody-Specific Advice for Eating Fish You Catch

Families Can Now Eat Some Fish from the Lower Hudson River for the First Time in 50 Years

Department Issues New Advice for Several Water Bodies Across the State Due to Newly Developed PFOS Fish Advisory Guidelines

ALBANY, N.Y. (April 1, 2026) - The New York State Department of Health today issued updated advice for eating fish caught in waterbodies statewide. The advice provides important health information to New Yorkers who enjoy fishing for food. Declining levels of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in some lower Hudson River fish mean for the first time in 50 years, anglers and their families can eat some of the fish they catch. New, more restrictive advice was also issued for other waters across New York due to the levels of perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) detected in some fish.

"New York State is a beautiful place to fish, and as we kick off the fishing season, the Department of Health wants to make sure people have the latest advice on safely eating the fish they catch," State Health Commissioner Dr. James McDonald said. "It's a great day when the Department can relax guidance for certain fish in the lower Hudson River, allowing people who may become pregnant and children to eat fish from one of the most important fisheries in New York State. We encourage everyone to visit us online to get the latest advice for waters across the state."

Updated Advice for Lower Hudson River

For the first time in 50 years, everyone in the family can now eat some fish from the Lower Hudson River (Rip Van Winkle Bridge in Catskill to the NYC Battery), including striped bass. The Department's analysis of PCB levels in several fish species allowed the Department to relax advisories based on highly protective PCB guidelines issued in 2020.

The Sensitive Population (people who can become pregnant and children under 15) can now enjoy up to one 8-ounce meal a month of striped bass among some others from this portion of the river. The general population can now eat up to four meals a month.

The Department recommends that everyone not eat Carp and Smallmouth bass from the Lower Hudson due to PCBs. See changes for several other species here.

The contaminant levels in Mid-Hudson fish (Federal Dam at Troy to Rip Van Winkle Bridge at Catskill) did not warrant advisory changes at this time. The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) catch-and-release regulation, "take no fish, eat no fish" still applies between Hudson Falls and the Federal Dam in Troy.

Because PCBs stay in the fat of fish, the Department encourages everyone to cut the skin and fat off of fish and cook it so that the fat drips off. This reduces the amount of PCBs in a fish meal by roughly half. People who eat Hudson River crabs can reduce the PCBs by removing the tomalley (mustard, hepatopancreas) and discarding the cooking liquid, which contains most of the PCBs.

Updated Advice Due to PFOS Guidelines

Last year the Department issued new health guidelines to update its advice for eating fish to protect New Yorkers from PFOS - the most common type of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) found in fish. These guidelines consider both the health risks of PFOS as well as the benefits of eating fish and are protective for even the most sensitive populations, including pregnant people and children.

New York is one of a few states to update fish consumption guidance that reflects the emerging science on PFOS. The guidelines were developed as part of the Great Lakes Consortium Best Practices Workgroup which includes New York, other Great Lakes states, Tribal Nations and the Province of Ontario.

Waters with updated advice include Lake Ontario, Lake Erie, Upper Niagara River, Mohawk River between locks E20 and E21, Lake Champlain's Cumberland Bay, Lake George, Seneca Lake and Catharine Creek.

The PFOS guidelines are used along with guidelines for other chemicals, like mercury and PCBs, to protect against exposure to chemicals from eating fish.

These guidelines are used to evaluate fish sampling data provided by DEC to recommend fish consumption advice for waters across the state. The Department continues to update advice for waters across the state as additional data becomes available from DEC.

Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Amanda Lefton said, "New York's waterways are world-renowned for abundant fishing opportunities. It remains critical to advise of any potential health risks from contaminants that may build up in fish tissue in certain bodies of water so that anglers can make well-informed choices about consuming their catch. DEC prioritizes cleaning up contaminants and restoring water quality to support fish consumption and will continue to work with our partners at the Department of Health to track and address harmful contaminants and use the latest science and data to help protect public health and our shared environmental resources."

Reducing Exposure to Chemicals When Eating Fish You Catch

Some waters have specific advice because certain fish have higher levels of chemicals like mercury, PCBs, or PFOS. Check for waterbody-specific advice at www.health.ny.gov/fish. If the water is not listed, anglers should follow the Statewide Advisory or the Catskill or Adirondack advisories when fishing in those regions.

Lake Erie, Lake Ontario, Oneida Lake, and parts of the St. Lawrence River offer the most variety of healthy fish choices, making them some of the best fisheries if you want to eat your catch.

Fishing is a popular activity and fish are an important part of a healthy diet. However, some fish contain chemicals at levels that may be harmful. Each year, the Department updates its health advice due to concerns about contaminants. The goal is to help people make healthier choices about which fish to eat and which to avoid. People who become pregnant and eat contaminated fish may be at a higher risk of having children with developmental or learning delays. Children who eat a lot of contaminated fish may also have potential for negative effects on their development and long-term health.

Older adults may face fewer health risks from these chemicals, so the advice is less restrictive, allowing them to enjoy eating these sport-caught fish more frequently.

The Department's health advice is based on a risk management approach and uses fish contamination data collected by DEC's statewide fish monitoring program. Each year, DEC performs several thousand chemical analyses on more than 1,000 fish samples and provides the results to DOH for use in setting consumption advisories.

Visit the Department's website for Health Advice on Eating Fish You Catch, here.

Find Frequently Asked Questions regarding the updated fish advisory PFOS guidelines here.

Additional information about how the Department sets fish advisories is available here.

Order free fish advisory materials using the order form here.

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