RICHMOND, Va. (AP) - Virginia health officials have issued an advisory due to elevated mercury levels found in blue catfish caught in the Nottoway River.

The Virginia Department of Health said Thursday that recent fish tissue sample results from the river show mercury levels in blue catfish exceed the amount considered safe for long-term human consumption.

The department advises people to eat no more than two meals a month of blue catfish taken from the river.

Fish consumption advisories alert people to contaminants present in affected fish species but do not prohibit people from eating fish. Pregnant women, nursing mothers and young children should not eat fish from this advisory area to avoid ingesting mercury.

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