Species
Channel Catfish
Channel Catfish carries consumption advisories on 1,309 waters across 34 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 channel catfish: Arsenic, Chlordane, Hexavalent chromium, DDT, Dioxins, Lead, Mercury, PCBs, PFAS, PFOS
Advisories are per-water — there is no single answer
The strictest advisory on file for channel catfish is 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 channel catfish has advisories
- Alabama
- Arkansas
- Arizona
- California
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- Florida
- Georgia
- Iowa
- Idaho
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Kansas
- Louisiana
- Massachusetts
- Maryland
- Michigan
- Missouri
- Montana
- North Carolina
- North Dakota
- Nebraska
- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- New York
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- Pennsylvania
- South Carolina
- Tennessee
- Utah
- Virginia
- Washington
- West Virginia
Waters with channel catfish advisories
Showing 200 of 1,309 waters. Browse a state above for its full list.
- Bay Minette Creek Alabama
- Bear Creek Alabama
- Bear Creek (Upper Bear Creek Lake) Alabama
- Big Creek (Big Creek Lake) Alabama
- Big Escambia Creek Alabama
- Binion Creek (Lake Tuscalooosa) Alabama
- Blue Eye Creek (Logan Martin Lake) Alabama
- Cedar Creek Lake Alabama
- Conecuh River (Point A Lake) Alabama
- Coosa River (Lay Lake) Alabama
- Coosa River (Lay Lake) Alabama
- Cypress Creek (Pickwick Lake) Alabama
- Escatawpa River Alabama
- Murder Creek Alabama
- Styx River Alabama
- Tallapoosa River (R L Harris Lake) Alabama
- Cutoff Creek from where the creek crosses Highway 35 in Drew County to where it joins with Bayou Bartholomew Arkansas
- Dorcheat Bayou Arkansas
- Moro Bay Creek from Highway 160 to where it joins with the Ouachita River Arkansas
- Alamo Lake Arizona
- Bartlett Lake Arizona
- Lyman Lake (Reservoir) Arizona
- Roosevelt Lake Arizona
- Hodges Reservoir California
- Lake Mendocino California
- Trinidad Reservoir Colorado
- Connecticut River Connecticut
- Lake Lillinonah Connecticut
- Alapaha River Florida
- Alligator Lake (Kissimmee Chain of Lakes) Florida
- Anclote River Florida
- Brick Lake Florida
- C-44 Canal (St. Lucie Canal) Florida
- Caloosa Fish Management Area Florida
- Crescent Lake/Dunns Creek Florida
- Dunns Creek Florida
- Escambia River and tributaries Florida
- Fox/South Lakes Florida
- Hardee Lakes FMA Florida
- Joe Budd Pond Florida
- Kissimmee River System (all Pools) Florida
- L-8 Canal Florida
- Lake Bryant Florida
- Lake Disston Florida
- Lake Gentry Florida
- Lake George Florida
- Lake Harney Florida
- Lake Hellen Blazes Florida
- Lake Louisa Florida
- Lake Manatee Florida
- Lake Mattie Florida
- Lake Minnehaha (Lake County) Florida
- Lake Minneola Florida
- Lake Monroe Florida
- Lake Okeechobee and Rim Canals Florida
- Lake Poinsett Florida
- Lake Sawgrass Florida
- Lake Seminole Florida
- Lake Talquin Florida
- Lake Thonotosassa Florida
- Lake Washington Florida
- Lake Winder Florida
- Lake Yale Florida
- Medard Reservoir Florida
- Mosaic Fish Management Area (FMA) - all lakes on property Florida
- Ochlockonee River and tributaries (see separate advisory for Lake Talquin) Florida
- Ocklawaha River-Lower Section from below Rodman Reservoir Dam to the confluence with the St. Johns River Florida
- Palm Lake FMA Florida
- Pate Lake Florida
- Puzzle Lake Florida
- Santa Fe River (Lower- downstream of "rise") Florida
- Santa Fe River (Upper- upstream of "sink") Florida
- St. Johns River North of SR 415 including Lakes George and Monroe (Lower River) Florida
- St. Johns River South of SR 415, including Lakes Harney, Puzzle, Poinsett, Winder, Washington, Florida
- Suwannee River System (Including Alapaha, Suwannee, and Withlacoochee Rivers; See separate advisory for Santa Fe River) Florida
- Tenoroc FMA including: Lake 2, Lake 5, Lake A, Lake B, Derby Lake, Hydrilla Lake, Legs Lake, Picnic Lake, and Shop Lake Florida
- Withlacoochee River North (Suwannee tributary) Florida
- Woodbine Spring Lake Florida
- Bear Creek Reservoir Georgia
- Black Shoals Lake (Randy Poynter Lake) Georgia
- Canoochee River (Hwy 192 to Ogeechee River) Georgia
- Cedar Creek Reservoir Georgia
- Chattahoochee River Georgia
- Conasauga River: Georgia
- Coosa River (Hwy 100 to Stateline) Georgia
- Heath Lake (Rocky Mountain PFA) Georgia
- Lake Chatuge Georgia
- Lake Nottely Georgia
- Lake Oliver Georgia
- Lake Rabun Georgia
- Ochlockonee River (Moultrie to Thomasville) Georgia
- Ocmulgee River (Pulaski County) Georgia
- Ogeechee River (Bryan County, Black Ck near Ellabelle) Georgia
- Ogeechee River (Bulloch County, near Statesboro) Georgia
- Ohoopee River (Near Reidsville, Ga., Tattnall County) Georgia
- Panther Creek (Stephens County) Georgia
- South River (Butts County) Georgia
- St. Marys River (Charlton County) Georgia
- West Point Lake Georgia
- McKinley Lake Iowa
- Brownlee Reservoir Idaho
- Hells Canyon Reservoir Idaho
- Big Muddy River and Tributaries, including Beaucoup Creek and Little Muddy River Illinois
- Bureau Creek Illinois
- Busse Lake Illinois
- Calumet River System Illinois
- Campus Lake (Southern Illinois University) Illinois
- Casey Fork Creek Illinois
- Cedar Creek Illinois
- Centralia Lake Illinois
- Chicago River Illinois
- Crab Orchard Creek Illinois
- Crab Orchard Lake Illinois
- Des Plaines River Illinois
- DuPage River Illinois
- Dutchman Lake Illinois
- Elkhorn Creek Illinois
- Fox Chain-O-Lakes Illinois
- Fox River Illinois
- Galena River Illinois
- Herrin Lake #1 Illinois
- Highland-Silver Lake Illinois
- Horseshoe Lake Illinois
- Illinois River Illinois
- Kickapoo Creek Illinois
- Kishwaukee River Illinois
- Kishwaukee River South Branch Illinois
- Kyte River Illinois
- Lake Bracken Illinois
- Lake Calumet Illinois
- Lake Decatur Illinois
- Lake Depue Illinois
- Lake Michigan Illinois
- Lake Taylorville Illinois
- Little Grassy Lake Illinois
- Mazon River Illinois
- Mill Creek Lake Illinois
- Nippersink Creek Illinois
- Ohio River Illinois
- Randolph County Lake Illinois
- Rock River Illinois
- Saganashkee Slough Illinois
- Sangamon River Illinois
- Siloam Springs Lake Illinois
- Sycamore Lake Illinois
- Vermilion River Illinois
- Wolf Lake and Indian Creek Illinois
- Anderson River Indiana
- Big Pine Creek Indiana
- Big Raccoon Creek Indiana
- Big Walnut Creek Indiana
- Black Creek Indiana
- Brookville Reservoir Indiana
- Cedar Lake Indiana
- Deer Creek Indiana
- Eagle Creek Indiana
- Eagle Creek Indiana
- Eagle Creek Indiana
- Eagle Creek Reservoir Indiana
- East Fork Whitewater River Indiana
- Eel River (West Fork White River Basin) Indiana
- Elkhart River Indiana
- Fall Creek Indiana
- Fall Creek Indiana
- Fall Creek Indiana
- Geist Reservoir Indiana
- Glenn Flint Lake Indiana
- Hardy Lake Indiana
- Harner Lake, Bicentennial Nature Area Indiana
- Huntingburg Lake Indiana
- Indian Creek Indiana
- Indian Creek Indiana
- Iroquois River Indiana
- J. Edward Roush Lake Indiana
- Kankakee River Indiana
- Lake Michigan Indiana
- Maumee River Indiana
- Middle Fork Wildcat Creek Indiana
- Mississinewa Reservoir Indiana
- Mississinewa River Indiana
- Mississinewa River Indiana
- Monroe Reservoir Indiana
- Muscatatuck River Indiana
- Ohio River Indiana
- Ohio River Indiana
- Patoka River Indiana
- Pigeon Creek Indiana
- Pike Lake Indiana
- Prairie Creek Reservoir Indiana
- Prides Creek Lake Indiana
- Richland Creek Indiana
- Richland Creek Indiana
- Rockville Lake Indiana
- Saint Marys River Indiana
- South Fork Wildcat Creek Indiana
- Spring Mill Park Lake Indiana
- Spurgeon Hollow Lake Indiana
- St. Joseph River (Lake Erie Basin) Indiana
- St. Joseph River (Lake Michigan Basin) Indiana
- St. Joseph River (Lake Michigan Basin) Indiana