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Species

Bowfin

Bowfin, a reference illustration for identifying your catch
Duane Raver, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (via Wikimedia Commons) — Public domain. Source

Bowfin carries consumption advisories on 254 waters across 9 states. Limits depend on the water and the fish's size — a bigger fish has had longer to accumulate contaminants, so it's usually the stricter one.

Contaminants found in bowfin: Arsenic, Hexavalent chromium, Mercury, PCBs

Advisories are per-water — there is no single answer

The strictest advisory on file for bowfin is For women who may become pregnant, pregnant or breastfeeding women, and children: do not eat due to elevated Mercury. Whether that applies to your fish depends entirely on where you caught it. Find your water below.

Where bowfin has advisories

Waters with bowfin advisories

Showing 200 of 254 waters. Browse a state above for its full list.