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Two lakes see high levels of mercury in fish in northeast Oklahoma. According to the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality, blue catfish 27 inches or longer in Copan Lake, white bass longer than 16 inches and largemouth bass over 18 inches in Hulah Lake can be eaten but shouldn’t be eaten more than two times a month.

Erin Hatfield from the department explains that women in childbearing ages and children 15 and under can be affected the most by eating the mentioned fish from their advisory more than two times a month. She notes that mercury consumed can affect the brain and nervous systems of children and fetuses.

The department encourages fishers to keep fishing and to eat the fish they catch. They say the advisory should not be taken lightly. Lake goers should also know that coming into contact with water in any of the lakes is not dangerous.