How to read Pennsylvania's fish-consumption advisory
PA Lake Fishing Almanac · reviewed Oct 4, 2026 against the 2026 Fishing Summary
2026 list
All quotes are from the DEP/PFBC advisory excerpt (Fishing Summary pp. 37–40), updated Feb 27, 2026.
Start with the statewide advice
“Pennsylvania has issued a general, statewide health advisory for recreationally caught sport fish: eat no more than one meal (1/2 pound) per week of sport fish caught in the state’s waterways.” It applies to every lake, listed or not.
Then look for your lake and species
The advisory tables list a water body, the area under advisory, species, meal frequency and contaminant. ““Do Not Eat” means no one should eat those fish because of high contamination.”
What a meal is
“One meal is assumed to be 1/2 pound of fish (8 oz. before cooking) for a 150-pound person.”
Who should be most careful
“People who regularly eat sport fish, women of childbearing age and children are particularly susceptible to contaminants that build up over time.”
Spacing meals
“For example, if the fish you eat is in the one meal a month group, wait a month before eating another meal of fish from any restricted category.”
Cleaning and cooking
DEP lists trimming steps that reduce PCBs and other organic contaminants (remove skin, trim fat, bake or broil on a rack, discard drippings). DEP adds: “Mercury, however, collects in the fish’s muscle and cannot be reduced by cleaning and cooking methods.”
Hatchery trout
“Fish stocked from PFBC state fish hatcheries are subject to the blanket one-meal-per-week consumption advisory that applies to recreationally caught sport fish in Pennsylvania.”
Lakes vs. streams
Some rows cover a creek or river that begins or ends at a lake (for example “Lake Maskenozha to mouth”). Those rows are for the stream, not the lake. This site shows them on the lake page only as “Nearby stream advisory”.
The list can change
“The advisory listing was current at the time this summary went to press. Fish consumption advisories may have been issued or lifted since that time.”
All lake rows (2026 list) Can I eat it?
Questions
If my lake isn't listed, is there no limit?
The statewide advice still applies: no more than one meal (1/2 pound) a week of sport fish.
What does “6 meals/year” mean?
No more than six meals of that species from that water in a year (DEP's meal frequency).
Does cooking remove mercury?
DEP says no: mercury collects in the muscle and cannot be reduced by cleaning and cooking.
Is this medical advice?
No. For health questions, DEP lists the Department of Health; for current listings, DEP.
Sources: DEP/PFBC advisory excerpt 2026 ; DEP fish consumption advisories .