Building Fish and Shellfish Consumption Advisory Programs

Objective

These webpages provide guidance for state, Tribal and territorial fish advisory programs to develop and issue risk-based consumption recommendations for fish and shellfish to protect human health.

Introduction

Fish and shellfish are an important part of a healthy diet, providing essential nutrients and a high quality source of protein. However, fish and shellfish may at times contain chemicals or illness-causing microorganisms that could pose a health risk to people who eat fish caught in local waters.

All 50 states and some territories and Tribes have issued fish and shellfish consumption advisories (advisories) to protect human health. These advisories contain a recommendation to limit or avoid eating certain species of fish or shellfish caught from a specific body of water (e.g., lake, river, coastal waters) due to chemical or microbiological contamination. Some states have statewide consumption advisories. Advisories are the product of a multi-step process that initially includes designing a fish and shellfish contaminant monitoring program and collecting, processing, and analyzing the tissue samples. The data are then analyzed to determine health risks from fish and shellfish consumption and if needed, the fish advisory is created and communicated to the public.

Five-Step Process for Building Fish and Shellfish Consumption Advisory Programs

The five-step process is presented in a series of webpages. The first three steps replace the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Guidance for Assessing Chemical Contaminant Data for Use in Fish Advisories, Volume 1: Fish Sampling and Analysis, Third Edition. The webpages for the fourth and fifth step are currently under development, so continue to use Volume 2: Risk Assessment and Fish Consumptions Limits, Third Edition, and Volume 3: Risk Management, which are available on EPA Guidance for Developing Fish Advisories. More information on updating the four volume set is provided in Historical Perspective of Fish and Shellfish Consumption Advisory Guidance.

Select a step to learn more:

1. Designing a Fish and Shellfish Contaminant Monitoring Program

2. In the Field - Collecting and Handling Samples

3. In the Lab - Processing and Analyzing Samples

4. Analyzing Data and Calculating the Consumption Limits

5. Developing a Fish and/or Shellfish Advisory

The EPA may periodically revise or update this guidance. Each revision will be dated. Input on the content of these webpages is welcome at any time by sending an email to Fish_Advisory@epa.gov.