The Alabama Department of Public Health has released its annual fish consumption advisories for 2019, a list of locations where the state recommends that people limit the amount of fish they eat because of contamination from substances such as mercury, PCBs, and PFOS.

The annual list of advisories is issued each summer based on fish caught the previous fall by the Alabama Department of Environmental Management, Tennessee Valley Authority and Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. Those fish -- caught in fresh and saltwater bodies across the state -- are analyzed in laboratories to determine how much of certain toxins a person might ingest by eating that fish.

The advisories can be issued for specific species or for all species caught in a certain location. They can recommend limiting consumption to a certain number of meals per week, or avoiding certain species altogether.

For example, ADPH recommends not eating any fish caught at Baker’s Creek in Wheeler Reservoir due to high levels of PFOS contamination. ADPH recommends limiting yourself to 2 meals per week (6 oz portions) of largemouth bass caught in Cane Creek in Colbert County, while suggesting you do not eat any largemouth bass caught in the Cedar Creek Reservoir in Franklin County.

The advisory includes special recommendations for sensitive populations, including children under 14, women who are nursing, pregnant or may become pregnant. Those populations may want to limit their intake of mercury due to impacts on developing nervous systems. ADPH recommends those populations avoid eating any king mackerel, shark, swordfish, or tilefish, while limiting consumption of white (albacore) tuna to 6 oz per week.

The full list of advisories, organized geographically is embedded below, sorted by region of the state. The document also contains additional information about the testing process and ways to clean and cook fish to minimize the amount of contaminants you consume.