Fish consumption advisories help Virginia anglers make educated choices about eating the fish they catch. While most Virginia waters do not have dangerous levels of contaminants, some fish in certain waters are found to contain contaminants at levels of concern.
A fish consumption advisory is not a prohibition of eating fish, but a warning about the contaminants present in a fish species. Each advisory specifies the waterbody or segment of a waterbody affected, the contaminants present, and meal recommendations for eating specific fish species caught there. The meal recommendations presented in the fish advisory tables were developed to protect the general public* from adverse health effects from exposure to fish contaminants. It is recommended to follow the guidance presented on advisories to reduce your total exposure to fish contaminants.
*Women who are pregnant or may become pregnant, nursing mothers, and young children are advised not to eat any fish contaminated either with polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) or mercury from the respective advisory areas.

Current Fish Consumption Advisories PDFs
Health Benefits of Eating Fish
Recommendations for Cooking & Preparing Fish

- Eat smaller, younger fish. Younger fish are less likely to contain harmful levels of contaminants than older, larger fish.
- Remove the skin, the fat from the belly and top, and the internal organs before cooking the fish.
- Bake, broil, or grill on an open rack to allow fats to drain. Avoid pan frying in butter or animal fat because these methods hold fat juices.
- Discard the fat that cooks out of the fish, and avoid or reduce the amount of fish drippings that are used to flavor the meal.
- Eat less deep fried fish since frying seals contaminants into the fatty tissue.
More Information About Virginia's Fish Consumption Advisories
- For questions about human health risks from exposure to fish contaminants, please contact the Virginia Department of Health (VDH) at (804) 864-8182.
- For general questions about fishing regulations in Virginia, please call the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries (DGIF) at (804) 367-1000, or visit their webpage by clicking here.
- For further information regarding the fish tissue sampling and analysis process, please contact the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) at (804) 698-4113, or visit their webpage by clicking here.
Search the table below to view the current fish consumption advisories:
Hint: type in which species, locality, waterbody, or contaminant you are interested in to filter results.
River Basin | Waterbody | Section | Locality | Contaminants | Fish Species | Advisory Description |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Chesapeake Bay and Coastal Basin | Lake Trashmore | Entire lake | Virginia Beach City | Mercury | Largemouth Bass | ≤ 2 meals/month |
Chesapeake Bay and Coastal Basin | Lake Trashmore | Entire lake | Virginia Beach City | PCBs | Carp | ≤ 2 meals/month |
Chesapeake Bay and Coastal Basin | Lake Whitehurst | Entire lake, including Little Creek Reservoir | Virginia Beach City, Norfolk City | PCBs | Carp, Gizzard Shad | ≤ 2 meals/month |
Chesapeake Bay and Coastal Basin | Lake Whitehurst | Entire lake, including Little Creek Reservoir | Virginia Beach City, Norfolk City | Mercury | Carp | ≤ 2 meals/month |
Chesapeake Bay and Coastal Basin | Little Creek | 4 miles near US Naval Reservation Little Creek Amphibious Base | Virginia Beach City, Norfolk City | PCBs | Spot, Croaker, Gizzard Shad | ≤ 2 meals/month |
Chesapeake Bay and Coastal Basin | Chesapeake Bay | Mainstem and its small coastal tidal tributaries | Chesapeake Bay | PCBs | Anadromous Striped Bass | ≤ 2 meals/month |
Chesapeake Bay and Coastal Basin | Eastern Branch Lynnhaven River | 6 miles | Virginia Beach City | PCBs | Gizzard Shad | ≤ 2 meals/month |
Chesapeake Bay and Coastal Basin | Mobjack Bay | Including tributaries | Mathews Co., Gloucester Co. | PCBs | Gizzard Shad | ≤ 2 meals/month |
Chesapeake Bay and Coastal Basin | Tabb Creek | Entire 2 mile creek | Hampton City, Poquoson City | PCBs | Gizzard Shad |