Maine urges against eating too much fish from more lakes, ponds and streams

By Adam Bartow

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    Maine (WMTW) — The Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention says you should limit the amount of fish you eat that comes from nearly a dozen different bodies of freshwater in Maine due to PFAS contamination, also known as forever chemicals.

The announcement this week adds four new bodies of water to the list and expands the advisories for two others that were issued last year.

The Maine CDC says elevated PFAS levels were found in fish samples from the Limestone Stream below the dam near Route 229 in Limestone, the Kennebec River between Hinkley and Fairfield, Number One Pond on the Mousam River in Sanford, Halfmoon Stream in Thorndike, Fifteenmile Stream in Albion, and China Lake.

Here is a listing of the new or expanded consumption advisories:

Fifteen Mile Stream from the Yorktown Brook inlet at the Hussey Road to Route 137/202 in Albion: no more than two meals per month of brook trout China Lake: No more than one meal per month of any fish Kennebec River in Fairfield from the Carrabassett Stream inlet just North of Route 23 to the Lockwood Dam in Waterville: no more than nine meals per year of smallmouth bass All of Durepo Pond and Limestone Stream in Limestone from Durepo to the Canadian Border: no more than four meals per year of brook trout and do not eat smallmouth bass Number One Pond, Sanford: no more than one meal per month of largemouth bass Halfmoon Stream from the Shikles Road in Thorndike to the Berry Road in Unity near the confluence with Sandy Stream: no more than two meals per month of brook trout.

“This update and expansion of Maine’s fish consumption advisories is based on the latest science about the health impacts of PFAS,” said Nancy Beardsley, Acting Director of the Maine CDC. “These advisories are designed to support the health of Maine anglers, their families and friends, and everyone who enjoys eating freshwater fish from these bodies of water.”

There are over 360,000 people who are licensed to fish in Maine. The state has over 32,000 miles of rivers and streams and 6,000 lakes and ponds.

The Maine CDC recommends that anglers review all existing fish consumption advisories for Maine waters.

The Maine Department of Environmental Protection collected and tested fish from these waterbodies for PFAS because they are located where historical PFAS contamination has been found in groundwater, surface water, and/or soils. The testing this year included testing of new waterbodies and expanded testing of waterbodies already under consumption advisories.

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