DES MOINES - The Iowa Department of Natural Resources and Iowa Department of Public Health are teaming up to ensure that fish caught from Iowa's lakes and streams are safe for people to eat.

"There is concern among the public and interest groups as it relates to concentrations of trace chemicals in fish tissue, especially mercury," said Marion Conover, chief of the DNR's fisheries bureau.

Recently, the departments worked in tandem to devise a protocol for notification of the public when consumption of fish from a particular water body may need to be limited or stopped altogether.

Prior to 2006, contaminant levels in Iowa fish were compared to "action levels" for mercury, PCBs, and chlordane published by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. In recent years, many states have abandoned the use of the FDA action levels in favor of a more protective "risk-based" approach.

Thus, in late 2005, the DPH, in cooperation with the DNR, used U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) guidance to develop a risk-based advisory system for Iowa that covers these contaminants.

It is important to note, that no matter your age, fish are an important part of a healthy diet. Nutritionists with the DPH say fish are low in saturated fats and contain high-quality protein.

Some fish (such as salmon, trout, and herring) are good sources of omega-3 fatty acids - a class of fatty-acids that are essential for cell development and have other beneficial health effects.

Fish also supply a number of vitamins and minerals that tend to be low in the typical U.S. diet.

Dr. Charles Barton, DPH toxicologist, said, "Our intention with consumption advisories is certainly not to scare people away from eating fish, especially women of child-bearing age and children.

"Rather, we hope the public will become more aware of the benefits of eating fish and where they can get safe fish to supplement their own diets."

Some fish may contain higher levels of trace chemicals than other fish. The new fish consumption advisories are intended to provide guidance to Iowans in limiting their consumption of certain types of fish from specific bodies of water due to higher levels of trace chemicals.

Based on this new advisory protocol, the DNR and DPH recommend the following:

Cedar Lake in Cedar Rapids: Eat only one meal/week of common carp and channel catfish (chlordane and PCBs).

Ottumwa Lagoons: Eat only one meal/week of channel catfish (chlordane).

Nine Eagles Lake, Decatur County: Eat only one meal/week of largemouth bass (mercury).

The Cedar River from the Highway 218 Bridge at Floyd (Floyd Co.) to the Iowa/Minnesota state line: Eat only one meal/week of smallmouth bass, walleye and northern pike (mercury).

The Upper Iowa River from the Lower Dam in eastern Winneshiek County to the County Road W-20 bridge: Eat only one meal/week of smallmouth bass, walleye and northern pike (mercury).

The Volga River and tributaries upriver from the town of Volga in western Clayton County: Eat only one meal/week of smallmouth bass (mercury).