SAN ANTONIO – Some bans and advisories are in place for fish caught in parts of San Antonio, Central Texas, South Texas and along the Gulf Coast.
According to TPWD, the Texas Department of State Health Services monitors fish for the possibility of environmental contaminants and alerts the public if there’s a “threat to human health.”
Recommended Videos
Some of those threats are in popular waterways, like Canyon Lake, Leon Creek and Texas coastal waters.
TPWD has a list of the bans and advisories recommended by TDSHS on its website.
See below to see areas of concern in South-Central Texas and on the Gulf Coast, as of Wednesday, April 12. For a full list, click here.
Consumption bans
The following descriptions are provided by TPWD.
- Portions of upper Lavaca Bay in Calhoun County: The possession of all species of fish and crabs is prohibited from the following areas. Catch and release from these areas is lawful.
- Donna Irrigation System in Hidalgo County: The possession of all species of fish and crabs is prohibited. Catch and release from these areas is lawful.
Saltwater consumption advisories
The following descriptions are provided by TPWD.
- All Texas Coastal Waters. Concern: Mercury.
- Blue marlin of any length should not be consumed.
- For blackfin tuna, little tunny, crevalle jack, swordfish, wahoo and all species of sharks: Adult men and women who are past childbearing age should limit consumption to two, 8-ounce meals per month. Children under 12 and women of childbearing age should not consume these species
- For king mackerel: For specimens less than 35 inches in total length, adult men and women who are past childbearing age should limit consumption to one 8-ounce meal per week. For fish more than 35 inches, adult men and women past childbearing age should limit consumption to two, 8-ounce meals per month. Children under 12 and women of childbearing age should not consume any king mackerel from Texas coastal waters.
Freshwater consumption advisories
The following descriptions are provided by TPWD.
- Canyon Lake in Comal County. Concern: Mercury.
- For striped bass and longnose gar, adults and children 12 and older are advised to eat no more than two 8-ounce servings per month. Children under 12 should eat no more than two 4-ounce servings per month. Pregnant women, women who could become pregnant and mothers who are breastfeeding are advised not to eat any striped bass or longnose gar from the lake.
- Lower Leon Creek in San Antonio. Concern: Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs).
- Persons should not consume any species of fish from Leon Creek starting at the Old US 90 bridge downstream to the Loop 410 bridge.
- Arroyo Colorado, Llano Grande Lake and the Main Floodway upstream of the Port of Harlingen in Cameron and Hidalgo counties. Concerns: Mercury and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs).
- Persons should not consume longnose gar from these waters.
- For smallmouth buffalo, adults are advised to eat no more than two 8-ounce servings per month. Women of childbearing age and children under 12 should not consume smallmouth buffalo from these waters.
For more information on the state department’s Seafood and Aquatic Life Group, which tracks hazards from fish, click here.