To safeguard public health, the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) has issued a precautionary fish consumption advisory for walleye measuring 19 inches and above in Center Hill Reservoir, located in DeKalb and Putnam counties.
The advisory suggests that sensitive groups such as pregnant women, nursing mothers, and children refrain from consuming the specified fish. TDEC recommends that other individuals limit their intake to no more than one meal per month. This caution stems from findings that mercury levels in the fish have surpassed Tennessee's acceptable threshold. The collected walleye from Center Hill Reservoir, according to the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, showed mercury averages of 0.39 mg/kg, which breaches the set trigger point of 0.3 mg/kg.
Ronné Adkins, TDEC's deputy commissioner for Environment, stated, per TDEC, "Unlike ‘Do Not Consume’ advisories that warn the general population to avoid eating fish from a particular body of water altogether, precautionary fish consumption advisories are specifically directed to sensitive populations." He elaborated that these advisories are in place to help community members make informed decisions about their fish consumption habits.
