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Kentucky Recommends More Restrictions on Fish Consumption

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State officials are recommending more restrictions on fish consumption.

The Courier-Journal reports the recommendations come after state officials found mercury in more fish from more waterways across the state. Officials now say everyone should limit how much locally caught fish they eat, not just pregnant woman and children under six.

Lanny Brannock, the spokesman for the Kentucky Department for Environmental Protection, said officials took samples from lakes across the state in 2009 and 2013. He said the samples gave them a better understanding of mercury levels statewide.

The new warning says the general population should limit bottom feeders such as catfish to one meal per week and limit top predators such as smallmouth bass to one meal per month. Pregnant women and young children should eat even less.

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