TDEC Issues Precautionary Fish Consumption Advisories

NASHVILLE -- The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) today announced an extension of a precautionary fish consumption advisory for black bass due to mercury in the Duck River in Humphreys County.

TDEC advises that pregnant women, nursing mothers, and children avoid eating the black bass and that all others limit consumption to one meal per month. Other recreational activities such as boating, kayaking, swimming, wading, and catch-and-release fishing carry no risk.

In 2025, the Tennessee Department of Health (TDH), in cooperation with TDEC, collected fish for tissue analysis on Duck River at river mile 11.5. The targeted fish species were black bass (largemouth bass, spotted bass, and smallmouth bass). Fish were analyzed for mercury by TDH through a contract with TDEC.

The mercury trigger point for a precautionary advisory is 0.3 mg/kg. Black bass were above the trigger point with a combined weight mercury average of 0.38 mg/kg. The advisory for the entirety of the lake is part of TDEC's responsibilities under the Tennessee Water Quality Control Act.

The previous precautionary advisory ran from the Buffalo River (river mile 15.8) to Interstate 40 (river mile 31.8). Based on the new data, the advisory in the Duck River is extended from Cold Branch (river mile 11.5) to Interstate 40.