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The City of Portland, Oregon

Environmental Services

working for clean rivers

Phone: 503-823-7740

Fax: 503-823-6995

1120 SW 5th Ave, Suite 613, Portland, OR 97204

More Contact Info

Can I eat fish from the Willamette River?

The Oregon Health Authority (OHA) updated its fish advisory on April 11, 2018.  OHA advises people to follow these guidelines:

Do not eat: Carp, brown bullhead, bass, walleye, and other resident fish (fish that live their whole lives in the Lower Willamette) should not be eaten at all. These fish have high concentrations of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and pose a risk to human health.

Limit eating: The advisory recommends eating no more than two black crappie per month.   

Okay to eat: The advisory does not apply to migratory fish like salmon, steelhead, and shad.

Additional Resources

Oregon Health Authority's April 2018 fish advisory for the Lower Willamette River through Portland.

Oregon Health Authority's additional fish advisories:  www.healthoregon.org/fishadv

Oregon Health Authority's 2014 Portland Harbor Health Assessment