Updated 2025 Sport Fish Consumption Advisories issued by Department of Health
PRESS RELEASE:
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – The West Virginia Department of Health (DH) has updated the West Virginia Sport Fish Consumption Advisory for 2025. The department partners with the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection and the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources to develop consumption advisories for fish caught in West Virginia waters. Fish consumption advisories are updated each year to help West Virginia anglers and their families make educated choices about eating the fish they catch.
The 2025 advisory updates are the result of reviewing the recent fish tissues data and re-analysis of historical data. The current West Virginia Sport Fish Consumption Advisory can be reviewed at the following site: https://oehs.wvdhhr.org/fish
There have been no changes to the current West Virginia sportfish advisory, as the recent data indicates that no changes were needed.
Statewide advisories
| FISH | CONTAMINANT | ADVICE |
| White Bass | Mercury PCBs (Polychlorinated Biphenyls) | 1 meal/month |
| Black Bass (largemouth, smallmouth, spotted), Channel Catfish greater than 17″, Flathead Catfish, Hybrid Striped Bass, Walleye, Sauger and Saugeye | Mercury PCBs (Polychlorinated Biphenyls) | 2 meals/month |
| Rock Bass, Channel Catfish less than 17″, All Suckers, All Other Species | Mercury PCBs (Polychlorinated Biphenyls) | 1 meal/week |
| Rainbow Trout | Mercury PCBs (Polychlorinated Biphenyls) | Unlimited |
Local advisories
| WATERBODY/FISH | CONTAMINANT | ADVICE |
| Bluestone River/Carp | PCBs (Polychlorinated Biphenyls) | 1 meal/month |
| Hughes River from mouth upstream to North and South forks/Sauger | Mercury | 1 meal/month |
| Kanawha River – Downstream of I-64 bridge in Dunbar down to Winfield Lock and Dam including all backwaters, Armour Creek, Heizer Creek, Manila Creek, lower two miles Pocatalico River, Coal River mouth to Lower Falls/Carp, Channel Catfish all sizes, Suckers | Dioxin, Mercury, PCBs (Polychlorinated Biphenyls) | Do not eat |
| Kanawha River – Downstream of I-64 bridge in Dunbar down to Winfield Lock and Dam including all backwaters, Armour Creek, Heizer Creek, Manila Creek, lower two miles Pocatalico River, Coal River mouth to Lower Falls/All other species | Dioxin, Mercury, PCBs (Polychlorinated Biphenyls) | 1 meal/month |
| Little Kanawha from mouth upstream to Wells Lock/Sauger | Mercury | 1 meal/month |
| Mount Storm Lake/Striped Bass | PCBs (Polychlorinated Biphenyls) | 1 meal/month |
| Ohio River Segment – Belleville Lock to the Kentucky Border (Jackson, Mason, Cabell, and Wayne counties)/Channel Catfish 18 inches and greater, Hybrid Striped Bass, Striped Bass | PCBs (Polychlorinated Biphenyls) | 6 meals/year |
| Ohio River Segment – Belleville Lock to the Kentucky Border (Jackson, Mason, Cabell, and Wayne counties)/Channel Catfish less than 18 inches, Common Carp, Flathead Catfish, Freshwater Drum, Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Spotted Bass, All Suckers, White Bass | PCBs (Polychlorinated Biphenyls) | 1 meal/month |
| Ohio River Segment – Pennsylvania Border (East Liverpool) to Belleville Lock (Brooke, Hancock, Marshall, Ohio, Pleasants, Tyler, Wetzel and Wood counties)/Channel Catfish 18 inches and greater | PCBs (Polychlorinated Biphenyls) | Do not eat |
| Ohio River Segment – Pennsylvania Border (East Liverpool) to Belleville Lock (Brooke, Hancock, Marshall, Ohio, Pleasants, Tyler, Wetzel and Wood counties)/Channel Catfish less than 18 inches, Common Carp, Hybrid Striped Bass, White Bass | PCBs (Polychlorinated Biphenyls) | 6 meals/year |
| Ohio River Segment – Pennsylvania Border (East Liverpool) to Belleville Lock (Brooke, Hancock, Marshall, Ohio, Pleasants, Tyler, Wetzel and Wood counties)/Flathead Catfish, Freshwater Drum, Largemouth Bass, Sauger, Saugeye, Smallmouth Bass, Smallmouth Buffalo, Spotted Bass, All Suckers, Walleye | PCBs (Polychlorinated Biphenyls) | 1 meal/month |
| R. D. Bailey Lake/Channel Catfish greater than 17 inches | PCBs (Polychlorinated Biphenyls) | 1 meal/month |
| Shenandoah River/Carp | Mercury PCBs (Polychlorinated Biphenyls) | Do not eat |
| Shenandoah River/Smallmouth Bass | Mercury | 1 meal/month |
| Summersville Lake/Flathead Catfish all sizes, Walleye | Mercury | 1 meal/month |
| Sutton Lake/Black Bass greater than 12 inches | Mercury | 1 meal/month |
| Upper Mud Reservoir/Largemouth Bass, White Crappie, Bluegill, Green Sunfish | Selenium | 1 meal/week |
Low levels of chemicals like PCBs, mercury, selenium and dioxin have been found in some fish from certain waters. An advisory is advice and should not be viewed as law or regulation. It is intended to help anglers and their families decide: where to fish, what types of fish to eat, how to limit the amount and frequency of fish eaten, and how to prepare and cook fish to reduce contaminants. Women of childbearing age, children, and people who regularly eat fish are particularly susceptible to contaminants that build up over time. Individuals falling into one of these categories should be especially careful to follow the guidelines.
The advisory covers only sport fish caught in West Virginia waters. Safety regulations and advisories for fish in the marketplace are the responsibility of the United State Food and Drug Administration (FDA). For more information you can contact the FDA at: https://www.epa.gov/fish-tech/epa-fda-advice-about-eating-fish-and-shellfish.
