2026 Minnesota Fish Consumption Guidelines For Healthy Eating

Here in Minnesota, we're known for our water-- we're the Land of 10,000 Lakes, after all-- but there is a new warning about the amount of fish you should eat if you caught them in one of those lakes, streams, or rivers.

Minnesota Fish Consumption Advisory 2026: What to Know

Among other things, Minnesota is known for its incredible fishing, right? The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) says the streams, rivers, lakes, and ponds of the North Star State are home to 162 different species of fish, 141 of which are native to Minnesota.

And with all those lakes filled with fish, it's not surprising that many of us like to get out and try our hand at reeling a few in every year. The DNR says over 1.5 million Minnesotans buy a fishing license each year, and the average angler spends 15 days fishing each year.

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Out of those 162 different kinds of fish, walleye are the most sought-after fish in Minnesota, followed by northern pike and muskie combined, panfish, bass, crappie, and trout, according to the DNR.

How Much Fish Is Safe to Eat in Minnesota?

But now there's a new 2026 fish consumption advisory from the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) that runs down the amount of Minnesota-caught fish you can safely eat-- and how often you should eat them.

While that advisory might sound ominous, MDH regularly issues similar advisories. To compile these guidelines, MDH said it looked at the most-studied contaminants in Minnesota fish, which include mercury, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS).

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MDH notes that fish are an 'important part of a nutritious, well-balanced diet and part of many Minnesotan traditions and cultures,' it said. The 2026 MDH fish consumption guidance is intended to provide Minnesotans with the information they need to make informed choices for the health and safety of their family.

Minnesota Fish You Should Limit or Avoid

2026 Minnesota Statewide Fish Consumption Guidelines:

1 serving per week:
Bullhead, crappie, inland trout, lake herring, lake whitefish, sunfish, yellow perch
1 serving per month:
Bass, catfish, lake trout, northern pike (<28"), walleye (<20"), other MN species not listed
Avoid (Do Not Eat):
Muskellunge, northern pike (28"+), walleye (20"+)

You can check out more about the DNR's full guidance concerning fish consumption HERE. Of course, in addition to polluted fish, there are many other wild animals native to Minnesota that could also cause problems for you if you encounter one in the wild-- unless you can outrun them. Keep scrolling to see which ones they are!