The Alabama Department of Public Health published a lengthy advisory in May 2024 for consumers of fish in Alabama.
It listed 19 "Do not eat" locations along with different restrictions for different fish from various sources:
Baker’s Creek embayment at Wheeler Reservoir. (Morgan County) — Do not eat (PFOS)
Bear Creek Reservoir, Dam forebay area. Bear Creek mile 75. (Franklin County) — Do not eat (mercury)
Chickasaw Creek, entire creek (Mobile County) — Do not eat (mercury)
Cold Creek Swamp, from the confluence of Cold Creek with the Mobile River west through the swamp. (Mobile County) — Do not eat (mercury)
Cowpen Creek, Upstream of confluence with Fish River. (Baldwin County) — Do not eat (mercury)
Mobile River, at Cold Creek, at river mile 27.0. (Mobile County) — Do not eat (mercury)
Polecat Creek, upstream of the confluence with Fish River. (Baldwin County) — Do not eat (mercury)
Binion Creek, immediately upstream of Highway 43. (Tuscaloosa County) — Do not eat (mercury)
Lewis Smith Reservoir, at the mouth of Clear Creek, Sipsey Fork in the vicinity of Clear Creek and Butler Creeks. Approximately 2.3 miles upstream of State Route 257 bridge. (Winston County) — Do not eat (mercury)
Choccolocco Creek, the entire length of the creek from south of Oxford to Logan Martin Reservoir. (Calhoun, Talladega Counties) — Do not eat (PCBs)
·Choccolocco Creek, in the vicinity of County Road 399 bridge. (Talladega County) — Do not eat (PCBs, mercury)
Choccolocco Creek embayment, approximately 1.0 mile upstream of lake confluence. (Talladega County) — Do not eat (PCBs)
Little Escambia Creek, at Wolf Log Road. (Escambia County) — Do not eat (mercury)
Murder Creek, between the confluence with Burnt Corn Creek and Conecuh River (Escambia County) — Do not eat (mercury)
Pea River, approximately 0.5 miles downstream of Beaverdam Creek/Pea River confluence, south of Elba, AL. (Coffee County) — Do not eat (mercury)
Perdido River, in the vicinity of the U.S. Highway 90 bridge crossing. (Baldwin County) — Do not eat (mercury)
Persimmon Creek, at AL Highway 106 west of Georgiana. (Butler County) — Do not eat (mercury)
Sepulga River in the vicinity of Brooklyn, AL. (Escambia County) — Do not eat (mercury)
Yellow River, at County Road 4 bridge. (Covington County) — Do not eat (mercury)
For the complete list of advisories and the methodology by which the advisories were determined, click here.
“Only dead fish go with the flow.”
Jim ‘Zig’ Zeigler’s beat is the colorful and positive about Alabama. He writes about Alabama people, places, events, groups and prominent deaths. He is a former Alabama Public Service Commissioner and State Auditor. You can reach him for comments at ZeiglerElderCare@yahoo.com.
Don’t miss out! Subscribe to our newsletter and get our top stories every weekday morning.
