Eating your catch - making healthy choices
Fishing Wisconsin
Eating your catch can be part of a healthy, balanced diet. Fish are generally low in unhealthy saturated fats and high in protein. Fish contain vitamins and minerals and are the primary food source for healthy omega-3 fats. Studies suggest that omega-3 fats may be beneficial during the fetal brain and eye development, and eating modest amounts of fish containing these healthy fats may lower the risk of heart disease in adults. Health experts recommend that fish be included as part of a healthy diet.
However, fish may build up pollutants from the water they live in and the food they eat. Some pollutants can build up in the fish to levels that can be harmful to wildlife and humans who eat fish. Mercury, PCBs and PFAS are the contaminants of most significant concern in fish, prompting recommendations that people limit or avoid eating certain fish species from many waters throughout the nation.
Wisconsin’s fish consumption advice is based on the work of public health, water quality and fisheries experts from eight Great Lakes states and the Canadian province of Ontario. Based on the best available evidence, scientists determined how much fish is safe to eat over a lifetime based on the amount of contaminants found in the fish and how those contaminants affect human health. Health officials considered a range of possible health risks, such as cancer, hormonal and immune system effects, but placed the most weight on healthy development of babies and children.
Fish Consumption Advisories
The recommended number of meals for a given length of time (weekly, monthly or yearly) is based on the contaminant levels found in fish and may vary by location and by type and size of the fish.
Because fish from most waters contain mercury, statewide safe-eating guidelines provide the same advice for most inland waters. However, there are special exceptions to the statewide safe-eating guidelines for locations where higher levels of contaminants have been found in fish.
Fish consumption advisories can be found in the Choose Wisely publication, fish consumption query tool or by using the Wisconsin Fishing Finder. These resources can help you plan how much fish you and your family can safely eat while reducing unwanted contaminants.
This information is not intended to discourage you from eating fish but to help you select fish that are low in contaminants for consumption. You and your family should determine the type and amount of fish you eat and compare that to the advice in this guide. After consulting the advisory, you may want to eat different species of fish, eat fish from different waters or space fish meals farther apart.
General statewide safe-eating guidelines
Safe-eating guidelines apply to fish from most of Wisconsin’s inland – i.e. non-Great Lakes waters. Exceptions apply to some locations including the Great Lakes.
You are at higher risk if you are currently pregnant or nursing, may become pregnant in the next 3-5 years or are under age 15. You are at lower risk if you are not pregnant, not likely to become pregnant in the next 3-5 years, not nursing and over age 15.
| Fish Species | Servings per month for higher risk populations | Servings per month for lower risk populations |
|---|---|---|
| Bluegill, crappies, yellow perch, sunfish, rock bass, bullheads, inland trout | 4 | Unrestricted |
| Musky | Do not eat | 1 |
| Walleye, northern pike, bass, catfish, all other species not listed | 1 | 4 |
Exceptions to statewide safe-eating guidelines
Exceptions to the statewide safe-eating guidelines are necessary for some species of fish from 146 waters where fish have higher concentrations of mercury or other contaminants. Follow the advice for the species and length of fish you eat – to properly measure your fish, measure from the tip of the nose to the end of the tail.