The Minnesota Department of Health is telling anglers to think twice before frying up their catch from the Vermillion River. On March 24, 2026, the agency updated its fish consumption guidance after tests found per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in fish taken from the river. The new, waterbody-specific advice warns people who are pregnant, planning pregnancy, breastfeeding, and children under 15 not to eat fish from certain sections of the Vermillion, while the general population is told to keep it to one serving per week. The advisory applies from the river’s headwaters through Dakota County down to Hastings, where the Vermillion meets the Mississippi.
What the state said
As reported by FOX 9, MDH’s March update revises statewide and northeast Minnesota guidance and adds more detailed waterbody-specific tables after reviewing new mercury and PFAS data. The update singles out the Vermillion River after PFAS were measured in fish tissue and notes that the state will fold the revised advice into its online guidance tools so anglers can look up recommendations before they head out.
Vermillion River guidance
In its river table (PDF), the Minnesota Department of Health lists the Vermillion River and its tributaries upstream of Hastings Dam in Dakota and Scott counties as impacted by PFAS. For those stretches, MDH recommends that sensitive populations “do not eat” any species, and that the general population limit all species to one serving per week. Sections downstream of Hastings Dam are covered by the Mississippi River Pool 3 guidance. For the full breakdown, see the Minnesota Department of Health river guidance (PDF).
PFAS and health
PFAS are persistent, widely used chemicals that can build up in fish tissue and hang around in the environment for years. The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency notes that fish often show PFAS even when water concentrations are relatively low, and that state agencies are expanding monitoring and moving toward new water-quality standards intended to cut down on future contamination.
What anglers should do
Before keeping or eating a catch, anglers are urged to check MDH’s Fish Consumption Guidance along with the DNR’s DNR LakeFinder tool for the latest, waterbody-specific advice. MDH points out that contaminants such as PFAS and PCBs tend to concentrate in whole fish and some organs, so trimming fillets or changing cooking methods may not fully eliminate exposure. For sensitive groups, the agency says the safest move is to avoid fish from waters that are flagged for PFAS. Questions can be directed to MDH’s Fish Consumption Guidance Program at [email protected] or 651-201-4911.
What’s next
State officials say they will keep sampling the Vermillion and other waters and can revise guidance as more data come in. The MPCA’s PFAS Blueprint also points to regulatory changes ahead, including new statewide water-quality standards for several PFAS that are scheduled for July 2026, which officials say will help steer cleanup work and permitting decisions. Local anglers, watershed groups, and public-health officials will be watching closely for follow-up sampling and any source investigations that might result from the new findings.
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