Do Not Eat Fish Caught From These Louisiana Waterways

Louisiana is the Sportsman's Paradise. We love the outdoors and we love sharing the bounty that Mother Earth and Mother Nature provide. It's when "man" gets in the way that things tend to go sideways with not only our enjoyment of the outdoors but our enjoyment of the harvest from our outdoor adventures.

With an abundance of lakes, streams, creeks, bayous, rivers, bays, and of course the Gulf of Mexico you'd probably think that fishing is pretty popular here in The Boot. You'd be right. And while do love to wet a line, sometimes you have to be very particular about where you drop that line.

No, it's not the act of fishing that is of concern it's more of a "what should you do with that fish you just caught" concern. You see, as much as it pains us to write this, not all of Louisiana's waterways are pristine and clean enough to support wildlife that can be harvested for human consumption. 

Now as much as we'd like to just offer you a list of waterways to avoid it's not really that simple to do so. But we do think the State of Louisiana has created what should be considered a valuable resource when it comes to food safety from freshly harvested fish.

The Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality provides this very handy and easy-to-use interactive map that shows Fish Consumption Advisories and Swimming Advisories too. So whether you want to just drop a line in the water or drop your entire body into the bayou, you can fish and swim with confidence.

The advisories issued for swimmers usually are based on the amount of bacteria in the water. When summertime temperatures warm up the water, the bacteria can become so plentiful that it becomes a health risk for people to swim.

The fish consumption advisories offer information on why fish harvested from that lake, bayou, stream, river, or pond should not be consumed. The interactive map allows the user to zoom in on specific areas of the state and specific bodies of water too.

It's just one more tool that the state is providing so that outdoor enthusiasts can enjoy the bounty of their time in the field or on the water and still remain safe. The interactive site is also available for use on most smartphones too. So, if you do find yourself on the water or heading out for some fishing, you can verify that your favorite honey hole is a safe place to land the big ones that you and your family can enjoy for supper that same day.