People who eat fish caught in the District’s Potomac and Anacostia rivers need to consider scaling back, according to the city Department of Energy and Environment’s (DOEE) recent tissue study of fish caught in D.C. waters.
This notice does not pertain to fish purchased from restaurants, fish vendors, or supermarkets.Â
The study analyzed the tissue of various species of fish for a variety of chemicals, including for the first time, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances or PFAS. The study also analyzed the samples for the chemicals tested in earlier studies such as PCBs, PAHs, metals, and organochlorine pesticides.
The study results showed that most species tested contained PFAS. PFAS are at times referred to as “forever chemicals†as they do not break down and tend to accumulate in the environment.
Long-term exposure to PFAS can put individuals at risk for serious health issues such as cancer, liver problems, thyroid issues, birth defects, kidney disease, and decreased immunity. Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are also still a chemical of concern in fish tissue.Â
This notice is preliminary as the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) final guidance on how to interpret PFAS fish tissue concentrations is not currently available.
The equations used to calculate the number of meals based on fish tissue concentrations are under revision by the EPA. Once the guidance and revised equations are available, DOEE will complete the analysis of the findings of the fish tissue study and make new fish consumption recommendations, as appropriate.Â
Comparison of the study results with screening values for PFAS developed by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection showed that fewer servings of some species should be eaten.
This notice is provided for people to consider if they choose to consume fish caught in the District.  Â
With the recent fish tissue study findings, DOEE advises the public to limit consumption of fish from all city waters, as follows:Â
·&²Ô²ú²õ±è;&²Ô²ú²õ±è;&²Ô²ú²õ±è;&²Ô²ú²õ±è;&²Ô²ú²õ±è;&²Ô²ú²õ±è;&²Ô²ú²õ±è;&²Ô²ú²õ±è;&²Ô²ú²õ±è;&²Ô²ú²õ±è;&²Ô²ú²õ±è;&²Ô²ú²õ±è;&²Ô²ú²õ±è;&²Ô²ú²õ±è;&²Ô²ú²õ±è;&²Ô²ú²õ±è;&²Ô²ú²õ±è;&²Ô²ú²õ±è;&²Ô²ú²õ±è;&²Ô²ú²õ±è;&²Ô²ú²õ±è;Do not eat: Eel, carp, striped bass or largemouth bass
·&²Ô²ú²õ±è;&²Ô²ú²õ±è;&²Ô²ú²õ±è;&²Ô²ú²õ±è;&²Ô²ú²õ±è;&²Ô²ú²õ±è;&²Ô²ú²õ±è;&²Ô²ú²õ±è;&²Ô²ú²õ±è;&²Ô²ú²õ±è;&²Ô²ú²õ±è;&²Ô²ú²õ±è;&²Ô²ú²õ±è;&²Ô²ú²õ±è;&²Ô²ú²õ±è;&²Ô²ú²õ±è;&²Ô²ú²õ±è;&²Ô²ú²õ±è;&²Ô²ú²õ±è;&²Ô²ú²õ±è;&²Ô²ú²õ±è;May eat: Three servings per month of blue catfish, or one serving per month of brown bullhead catfish or channel catfish or gizzard shad or snakehead or sunfish or white perch or yellow perch
·&²Ô²ú²õ±è;&²Ô²ú²õ±è;&²Ô²ú²õ±è;&²Ô²ú²õ±è;&²Ô²ú²õ±è;&²Ô²ú²õ±è;&²Ô²ú²õ±è;&²Ô²ú²õ±è;&²Ô²ú²õ±è;&²Ô²ú²õ±è;&²Ô²ú²õ±è;&²Ô²ú²õ±è;&²Ô²ú²õ±è;&²Ô²ú²õ±è;&²Ô²ú²õ±è;&²Ô²ú²õ±è;&²Ô²ú²õ±è;&²Ô²ú²õ±è;&²Ô²ú²õ±è;&²Ô²ú²õ±è;&²Ô²ú²õ±è;Choose to eat: Smaller fish of legal size.
·&²Ô²ú²õ±è;&²Ô²ú²õ±è;&²Ô²ú²õ±è;&²Ô²ú²õ±è;&²Ô²ú²õ±è;&²Ô²ú²õ±è;&²Ô²ú²õ±è;&²Ô²ú²õ±è;&²Ô²ú²õ±è;&²Ô²ú²õ±è;&²Ô²ú²õ±è;&²Ô²ú²õ±è;&²Ô²ú²õ±è;&²Ô²ú²õ±è;&²Ô²ú²õ±è;&²Ô²ú²õ±è;&²Ô²ú²õ±è;&²Ô²ú²õ±è;&²Ô²ú²õ±è;&²Ô²ú²õ±è;&²Ô²ú²õ±è;Catch and release is encouraged for native species.
o Invasive blue catfish, flathead catfish, and northern snakehead should NOT be returned to the water. These species should still only be consumed in accordance with the preliminary advisory recommendations above.
o        DOEE did not sample tissue from flathead catfish, so it does not have data that indicates what amount is safe to eat.