WARNING: Do Not Eat Fish from These 9 East Texas Lakes (Tyler, TX)

Heads up, East Texas Anglers. Whether you're fishing around Tyler, TX or anywhere in ETX, The Texas Department of State Health Services has issued fish consumption advisories for several lakes across our area.

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Our little neck of the Lone Star State is home to a wide variety of fish species, including bass, crappie, catfish, and sunfish. It's why some of the best fishing in Texas is done here as there's always something different to catch. But not all of the fish are healthy to consume.

The Texas Department of State Health Services (TDSHS) monitors fish in the state for the presence of environmental contaminants and alerts the public through bans and advisories when a threat to human health may occur from the consumption of contaminated fish.

Here are lakes that make their list:

The Clear and West Forks of the Trinity River in Anderson, Dallas, Ellis, Freestone, Henderson, Kaufman, Navarro and Tarrant counties.

Advisories:

• Persons should not consume any species of fish from these waters.

New: Lake Livingston and Trinity River from US Highway 287 to US 90. Affected waters are in Anderson, Freestone, Houston, Leon, Liberty, Madison, Polk, San Jacinto, Trinity and Walker counties

Advisories:

• Persons should not consume any species of gar from these waters.
• Adults should limit consumption of certain fish species as indicated below. Women of childbearing age and children under 12 should not consume the indicated fishes from these waters.
  • Blue and flathead catfish: no more than one 8-ounce serving per month.
  • Smallmouth buffalo: no more than one 8-ounce serving per month.
  • Freshwater drum: no more than two 8-ounce servings per month.
• For white bass and striped bass, adults are advised to limit consumption to three 8-ounce servings per month. Women of childbearing age and children under 12 should consume no more than one 8-ounce serving per month.

Neches River and all contiguous waters from State Highway 7 bridge west of Lufkin downstream to the US 96 bridge near Evadale, including B.A. Steinhagen and Sam Rayburn reservoirs. Affected waters are in Angelina, Hardin, Houston, Jasper, Nacogdoches, Polk, Sabine, San Augustine, Trinity and Tyler counties

Advisories:

• Adults should limit consumption of certain fish species as indicated below. Women of childbearing age and children under 12 should not consume the indicated fishes from these waters.
• Smallmouth buffalo: Do not eat.
• Flathead catfish and gar: No more than one eight-ounce serving per month.
• Blue catfish over 30 inches long, largemouth bass over 16 inches and spotted bass over 16 inches: No more than two eight-ounce servings per month.

Clear Lake in Panola County

Advisories:

• For largemouth bass, freshwater drum and bowfin, adults should limit consumption to no more than two, eight-ounce meals per month, and children under 12 years of age should limit consumption to no more than two, four-ounce meals per month.
• Women of childbearing age who are or might become pregnant, or who are nursing should not consume largemouth bass, freshwater drum or bowfin from this lake.

Hills Lake in Panola County

Advisories:

• For largemouth bass and freshwater drum, adults should limit consumption to no more than two, eight-ounce meals per month, and children under 12 years of age should limit consumption to no more than two, four-ounce meals per month.
• Women of childbearing age who are or might become pregnant, or who are nursing should not consume largemouth bass or freshwater drum from this lake.

Big Cypress Creek in Marion County; Caddo Lake in Harrison and Marion counties; and Toledo Bend Reservoir in Newton, Panola, Sabine and Shelby counties.

Advisories:

• All Locations: For largemouth bass and freshwater drum, adults should limit consumption to no more than two, eight-ounce meals per month, and children should limit consumption to no more than two, four-ounce meals per month.

Lake Kimball in Hardin and Tyler counties and Lake Pruitt (Black Cypress Creek) in Cass County.

Advisories:

• For all species of fish, adults should limit consumption to no more than two, eight-ounce meals per month, and children under 12 years of age should limit consumption to no more than two, four-ounce meals per month.

Lone Star Lake (aka Ellison Creek Reservoir) in Morris County.

Advisories:

• Persons should not consume common carp or hybrid striped bass from this reservoir.
• For channel catfish, flathead catfish, spotted gar and sunfishes, adults should limit consumption to one eight-ounce meal per month. For largemouth and white bass, adults should consume no more than two eight-ounce meals per month.
• Children under 12 and women of childbearing age should not consume channel catfish, flathead catfish, white bass, hybrid striped bass, sunfishes, common carp or spotted gar from this reservoir; and should limit consumption of largemouth bass to no more than one four-ounce meal per month.

Lake Daingerfield in Morris County and Lake Ratcliff in Houston County.

Advisories:

• For largemouth bass, adults should limit consumption to no more than two, eight-ounce meals per month, and children should limit consumption to no more than two, four-ounce meals per month.

For a listing of all consumption bans and advisories, and a listing of areas tested where no bans or advisories were issued, visit the TDSHS Seafood and Aquatic Life group, call (800) 685-0361 (shellfish) or (512) 834-6757 (fish) or email seafood.regulatory@dshs.texas.gov