The Alabama Department of Public Health issued 213 fish consumption advisories statewide for 2026, including 64 covering Mobile, Baldwin, Washington, Clarke and Monroe counties. Of 19 waterbodies tested in Baldwin County, 17 have at least one species with mercury restrictions.

The advisories are based on fish tissue samples collected in late 2025.

Mobile Baykepeer scientist Cassie Bates said all of the advisories in coastal Alabama are tied to mercury contamination.

Mercury contamination in fish tissue primarily comes from coal-burning operations as well as discharges from industrial facilities and wastewater treatment plants, she said.

State health officials issue advisories to recommend limits on how often certain species should be eaten. According to the Alabama Department of Public Health, the contaminants of greatest concern are mercury, polychlorinated biphenyls, or PCBs, and perfluoroalkyl sulfonate, or PFOS.

Bates said the health effects associated with long-term exposure are cumulative.

"It's not that you get immediately sick if you eat a fish that has an advisory from a waterway that's impaired for these particular pollutants, but it's that over a long period of time, if you're consuming fish in areas that have advisories, you have a greater likelihood of becoming ill," Bates said.

She said prolonged exposure to contaminants such as mercury increases the risk of neurological disorders, cancer and complications during pregnancy.

Mobile Baykepeer, an environmental advocacy group, is warning the advisories underscore concerns about the state's ability to respond to pollution. It was not clear if the 2025 numbers are significantly higher or lower than previous years.

The advisories report comes months after Gov. Kay Ivey signed SB 71, known as the Sound Science Bill. The law, sponsored by Sen. Donnie Chesteen, who represents Dale, Geneva and Houston counties, generally prohibits state agencies from adopting environmental regulations that are stricter than federal standards. Sen. Vivian Davis Figures and Rep. Jennifer Fidler are the two out of 10 members of Baldwin County's legislative delegation to fully vote against the bill.

Bates said recent federal actions have already weakened some environmental protections, citing proposed changes to coal ash regulations and updates to cancer risk calculations used by state permitting agencies.

According to ADEM records, the state agency's most recent statewide PFAS (the umbrella term for synthetic chemicals that includes PFOS) sampling effort was completed in 2022. Since August 2023, PFAS monitoring data has primarily come through federal drinking water testing requirements. Scientists have raised concerns that PFAS is not currently included in routine coastal monitoring programs, leaving limited data on contamination in Mobile Bay and surrounding waterways.

Bates said the new state law could make it harder for Alabama to expand water quality monitoring and address contaminants that are not routinely tested.

"For example, the state isn't testing for forever chemicals or PFAS in coastal Alabama right now, but there's a huge need for that," Bates said.

Additional monitoring would allow the state to develop pollution reduction plans and work with facilities to reduce contaminant discharges, she said.

"SB 71 just makes it more challenging for us to implement laws that are actually protective of Alabamians," Bates said. "Essentially the federal ceiling has lowered in terms of what is actually protective for public health when it comes to being exposed to these toxins."

Mobile Baykeeper Executive Director William Strickland said the advisories are intended to provide information to the public, not discourage fishing.

"Fish consumption advisories are not about the government telling folks what to do — they are simply giving you information to use as you make decisions for your family," Strickland said.

"My family has been eating the fish we catch since as early as I can remember. It is an important tradition that I have continued with my children," he added. "People just need the information to make decisions for themselves."

Strickland said the latest advisories should serve as a warning.

"The advisories should be a call to action to do better, not a sign that we accept contamination as normal," he added. "Alabamians deserve to eat what we catch without fear." 

DO NOT EAT ANY (all caused by Mercury)

• Wolf Creek — At Swift Church Road — Largemouth bass
• Styx River — Near US Hwy 90 bridge — Largemouth bass
• Sandy Creek — E. of Barin Navy Field, ~1 mi downstream of US 98 — Largemouth bass
• Perdido River — Near US Hwy 90 bridge — All species
• Lake Shelby — Gulf State Park — Largemouth bass
• Blackwater River — Mouth to pipeline crossing SE of Robertsdale — All species
• Turkey Branch — Upstream of Fish River confluence — Largemouth bass
• Tensaw River — At L&N Railroad crossing — Largemouth bass
• Polecat Creek — Upstream of Fish River confluence — All species
• Negro Slough — At Tensaw River confluence — Largemouth bass
• Middle River — 4.5 mi above Tensaw confluence — Largemouth bass
• Magnolia River — ~2.5 mi upstream of Weeks Bay — Largemouth bass
• Fish River (Site 1) — Near Polecat Creek confluence — Largemouth bass
• Fish River (Site 2) — Near Waterhole Branch confluence — Largemouth bass
• Cowpen Creek — Upstream of Fish River — All species
• Bon Secour River — Near County Road 10 bridge — Largemouth bass
• Bay Minette Creek — Near AL Hwy 225 bridge — Largemouth bass

LIMITED CONSUMPTION (1–2 meals/month, all Mercury)

• Styx River — Channel catfish — 1 meal/month
• Perdido Bay (mid-channel, S of Chambers Pt.) — Red drum — 2 meals/month
• Perdido Bay (same site) — Speckled trout — 2 meals/month
• Miflin Creek — Largemouth bass — 1 meal/month
• Tensaw River — Channel catfish — 2 meals/month
• Negro Slough — Channel catfish — 2 meals/month
• Mifflin Lake — Blue catfish — 2 meals/month
• Mifflin Lake — Largemouth bass — 2 meals/month
• Fish River (Site 1) — Black crappie — 1 meal/month
• Fish River (Site 1) — Channel catfish — 1 meal/month
• Bay Minette Creek — Channel catfish — 2 meals/month

NO RESTRICTIONS

• Wolf Bay — All species
• Perdido Bay (below Lillian Bridge, US 98) — All species
• Weeks Bay — All species
• Middle River — Channel catfish
• Magnolia River — Striped mullet
• Fish River (Site 2, Waterhole Branch) — Striped mullet
• Bon Secour River — Striped mullet
• Bon Secour Bay — All species

Gabriella Chavez is a Report for America corps member who writes about growth and development in Baldwin County and our natural spaces for Gulf Coast Media. Your donation to match our RFA grant helps keep her writing stories like this one; please consider making a tax-deductible gift of any amount today by visiting https://tinyurl.com/yaf8yf5n.