Contaminated Fish | San Francisco Estuary Institute

Contaminated Fish

Water Pollution Impacts Human Health

One of the primary goals of the Clean Water Act is to make all U.S. waters fishable. Fishing and consumption of Bay fish are popular activities, and some communities depend heavily on Bay-caught fish for cultural reasons or subsistence. Unfortunately, the Bay and most water bodies in California yield fish that are contaminated to a degree that poses risks to human health.

The RMP’s Exceptional Dataset

Thanks to the Regional Monitoring Program (RMP), San Francisco Bay has one of the best fish contamination monitoring programs in the world. The RMP’s 30-year dataset includes a large number of fish species and a long list of measured contaminants, allowing evaluation of long-term trends.

Fishing pier at Point Richmond. Photograph by Shira Bezalel.

Photo: Shira Bezalel

Fishing near Vallejo. Photograph by Joe Clark, All Positives Possible (https://www.allpositivesp.org/)

Working with Frontline Communities

Frontline communities who depend upon the Bay for subsistence face the greatest risks from eating contaminated fish. We are working with All Positives Possible, a community-based organization serving low-income disadvantaged groups in the Vallejo area, to assess contamination of the Bay fish that they consume. We are also working with community groups across the region to develop a survey to assess consumption rates and patterns by subsistence fishers.

Monitoring a Statewide Problem

Fish contamination is a problem in lakes and reservoirs, rivers and streams, and coastal waters throughout California. SFEI is the technical lead for the statewide Bioaccumulation Monitoring Program. We have served in this role since the program began in 2007, leading the way in monitoring fish contamination at hundreds of locations across the state.

Latest News

Smiling Anthony Khalil baits a hook during a morning fishing session at Mission Rock pier.

Wed, Jun 25 2025

Fishing for "Forever Chemicals" In the Press: SFEI Study in Dozens of Media Outlets

Lots of people fishing with rods off a pier

Tue, May 20 2025

"Forever Chemicals" Found In Fish Through Most of Bay

Thu, Jun 29 2023

SFEI awarded over $7 million for Bay restoration and community partnerships

Fri, Feb 4 2022

Forum on PFAS elevates the perspectives of local fishing communities

Featured Projects

Photo showing a fishing pier in Tiburon with the Bay in the background. At the entrance to the pier is a sign based on the fish consumption advisory for the Bay.

Sport Fish

The RMP has tracked trends in contaminants in Bay sport fish since 1997. Monitoring is performed on a five-year cycle.

Read More

Joe Clark from All Positives Possible leading a toxic tour of community fishing locations.

Carquinez Strait Fish and Preservation Project

SFEI is partnering with All Positives Possible, a community-based organization serving low-income disadvantaged groups in the Vallejo area. We are leading the fish monitoring element of the project, which will generate high-quality data on the exposure of community… Read More

Consumption Survey Questionnaire for San Francisco Bay Subsistence Fishers

SFEI is developing a questionnaire that will be used to characterize consumption of Bay-caught fish by subsistence fishers. We are convening a series of workshops to design the questionnaire with guidance from community-based organizations, technical advisors, and… Read More