How to eat Ohio fish safely and what not to eat in Ohio, according to the Ohio Department of Health

YOUNGTOWN, Ohio (WKBN) – The Ohio Department of Health released its annual fish consumption advisory on Tuesday, detailing how to stay safe when eating fish caught in Ohio.

What types of fish are safe to eat in Ohio?

In general, people can safely eat four servings of Ohio-caught fish per month, on average one serving per week. For adults, a serving is defined as 4-6 ounces of cooked fish, which is about the size of an adult’s palm. A child’s portion is smaller at 2-3 ounces of cooked fish, about half the size of an adult’s palm.

Some fish, such as yellowfin perch, pollock, and sunfish, are safer in large amounts, but should still be limited to twice a week.

Smaller, younger fish have the lowest amount of contaminants, while older and larger fish take longer to accumulate contaminants.

What fish is unsafe to eat in Ohio?

Two rivers, the Little Sioto River and the Tuscalawas River, are unsafe to eat due to pollutants in the water.

Some types of fish should not be eaten, such as bottom-eating fish and sucker fish. Bottom feeders, as their name suggests, feed at the bottom of lakes and rivers, eating pollutants that may be deposited there. Examples of this type of fish include catfish and carp.

It’s important to note that not all Ohio fish are contaminated. However, Ohio fish often contain small amounts of chemical contaminants. By limiting your intake of fishmeal, you prevent pollutants from accumulating in your body to harmful levels.

Contaminants found in some Ohio fish include polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), pesticides, and metals such as lead and methylmercury. According to ODH, the contaminants responsible for most recommendations are PCBs and methylmercury.

please do not worry. Ohio fish are safe to eat if you follow fish consumption recommendations. Fish are also a great source of protein and healthy oils.

How to cook fish safely

Congratulations, you caught a fish! So?

It is important to clean the fish to remove as many contaminants as possible. For this, the skin, fat and entrails must be removed from the fish before cooking.

Then during the cooking stage, baking, broiling, or grilling is the preferred method as it allows you to shed excess fat and shed contaminants. Discard any accumulated drips.

For ODHs, Comprehensive table For every body of water in Ohio known to contain the contaminant, it details recommendations, including how often it is safe to eat certain species as the contaminant may be detected.

If you encounter a snapping turtle during your adventure, ODH recommends eating only the muscle parts such as the back straps and neck muscles. Fat, skin, viscera, blood and eggs should all be discarded.