WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — State health and wildlife officials have updated their list of the fish and other aquatic species in Kansas that should be eaten in limited quantities or avoided altogether for health reasons. The Kansas Departments of Health and Environment and Wildlife and Parks have issued a fish consumption advisory for 2025. Before we get to the details, it helps to know what some of the definitions are: Bottom-feeding fish: buffalo, carp, catfish, sturgeon, suckers Shellfish: mussels, clams, crayfish When the KDHE refers to serving size, it means the weight of skinless fish fillets before cooking. The appropriate sizes depend on the person’s age. Adults and children age 13 and older = 8 ounces Children age 6 to 12 = 4 ounces Children younger than 6 = 2 ounces How much snow did Wichita and Kansas see Mercury advisory The KDHE and the KDWP say that all fish contain some mercury. Therefore, anyone who routinely eats fish or serves fish to children, including store-bought fish, should carefully consider the type and amount eaten. Too much mercury can harm the development of fetuses, nursing babies and growing children. Women who are pregnant, nursing, or may become pregnant, and children younger than 17 should follow the guidelines for eating fish caught in Kansas. Fishing and eating guidelines  Eat smaller portions — a fillet about the size of your palm Eat types of fish with less mercury (see Preferred Choice Fish in the chart below) If you don’t know the type or size of fish you are eating, wait at least a week before eating fish again When fishing, keep fish that are shorter than your forearm (fingertips to elbow) or less than 20 inches as regulations allow. Preferred Choice FishServings• Blue and Channel Catfish• Common Carp• Crappie• White Bass, White Perch, Wiper, Striped Bass• Walleye, Sauger, Saugeye• Bullhead Catfish• Drum• Sunfish (Bluegill, Green, Redear, etc.)1 or 2 servings a week(If the fish is larger than 20 inches: no more than 1 serving a week) Second Choice FishServings• Buffaloes (Black, Bigmouth, Smallmouth)• Flathead Catfish• Bass (Largemouth, Smallmouth, Spotted)1 or 2 per month(If the fish is larger than 20 inches, no more than 1 serving a month) For specific questions or concerns about mercury in Kansas fish, please contact the KDHE. For information about mercury in fish caught in other states, store-bought fish, and other types of seafood, please visit the EPA and FDA fish and shellfish website. Teacher, wrestling coach in eastern Kansas sentenced for sex crimes Waterbody-specific advisories for all consumers Kansas recommends restricting the consumption of bottom-feeding fish to two servings a month from the following location because of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs): Little Arkansas River from the Main Street Bridge immediately west of Valley Center to the confluence with the Arkansas River in Wichita (Sedgwick County) Kansas recommends restricting the consumption of bottom-feeding fish to one serving per month from the following location because of PCBs:  Cow Creek in Hutchinson and downstream to the confluence with the Arkansas River (Reno County) K-96 Lake in Wichita (Sedgwick County) Kansas recommends restricting the consumption of bottom-feeding fish to one serving a month from the following location because of arsenic: Mill Creek from Madison Road east of Morrowville to the confluence with Little Blue River (Washington County). Do not eat fish from: Kansas recommends not eating specified fish or aquatic life from the following locations: Antioch Park Lake South in Antioch Park, Overland Park (Johnson County); all fish due to pesticides: dieldrin, heptachlor epoxide, chlordane and dichlorophenyltrichloroethanes (DDTs). Arkalon Park Lakes in Liberal (Seward County); Kansas recommends not eating any aquatic life because the lakes are sustained solely by treated municipal wastewater. Arkansas River from the Lincoln Street dam in Wichita downstream to the confluence with Cowskin Creek near Belle Plaine (Sedgwick and Sumner counties); bottom-feeding fish due to PCBs. Kansas River from Lawrence (below Bowersock Dam) downstream to Eudora at the confluence of the Wakarusa River (Douglas and Leavenworth counties); bottom-feeding fish due to PCBs. Mill Creek from Washington (below 18th Road) downstream to the confluence of Little Blue River (Washington County); shellfish due to arsenic. Shoal Creek from the Missouri/Kansas border to Empire Lake (Cherokee County); shellfish due to lead and cadmium. Spring River from the confluence of Center Creek to the Kansas/Oklahoma border (Cherokee County); shellfish due to lead and cadmium. Waterbodies affected by harmful algae blooms The KDHE says that so far, measured algal toxin levels in fish samples collected from waters affected by harmful algal blooms (HABs) suggest the fish are safe to eat. However, please take the following precautions: Avoid skin contact with water. Wear gloves when handling wet fish and equipment. Rinse fish with clean water. Remove skin from fillets and rinse with clean water before cooking or freezing. Eat only skinless fillets. Do not eat shellfish. General advice for reducing exposure to chemicals in fish  Keep smaller fish to eat (regulations permitting) and let the big ones go. Avoid eating fish parts other than fillets. Trim fat from fillets and/or use cooking methods that allow fat to drip away. Avoid subsistence fishing (relying on wild-caught fish for daily nutritional needs) in rivers within or immediately downstream of large urban/industrial areas. Do not eat fish or aquatic life from wastewater outfalls, waste treatment lagoons or stormwater retention ponds. Other resources Click here to view the advisories online and for information about KDHE’s Fish Tissue Contaminant Monitoring Program. For information about fishing in Kansas, including licensing, regulations, fishing reports and fishing forecasts, please visit the Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism (KDWPT) website ksoutdoors.com/Fishing. For information about the health benefits and risks of including fish in your diet, please visit Eating fish twice a week reduces heart, stroke risk | American Heart Association. Click here for technical information regarding the U.S. EPA risk assessment methods for determining advisory consumption limits.