Published On 8/15/2022
Through an appropriation to the State Water Resources Control Board funds are available to assist Local Agencies in conspicuously posting health warnings, consistent with Site-specific advisories, in areas where contaminated fish or shellfish may be caught, including piers, jetties, lakes, reservoirs, and other areas where recreational or subsistence fishing is known to occur. Fish advisories are guidelines that recommend how often you can safely eat fish caught from waterbodies in California. Pursuant to Health and Safety Code 116090.7, enacted by AB 762 of 2019, Local Health Officers are required to post fish advisories that have been issued by the Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) for approximately 131 site-specific waterbodies in California upon appropriation of state funds. Prior to the enactment of this requirement and the appropriation of these funds, local agencies were only urged to post these warnings, resulting in sites with no or inadequate warnings.