State office issues fish advisory for Cachuma Lake

State office issues fish advisory for Cachuma Lake

The California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) has issued a new fish consumption advisory for Cachuma Lake in Santa Barbara County, marking its 150th statewide advisory.

The guidance covers black bass species, common carp, and Threadfin Shad, with recommendation tailored by age and sex due to mercury levels found in the fish.

Women ages 18-49 and children should avoid black bass, limit common carp to one serving per week, or Threadfin Shad to two.

Women 50 and older and men 18 and older may eat up to one serving of black bass, three of carp, or four of shad weekly.

Mercury, a byproduct of historic mining and coal burning, can harm brain development, especially in children and fetuses.

One adult serving is an