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