DNR, DHS release consumption advisories for bay

GREEN BAY – The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and the Department of Health Services (DHS) released a consumption advisory for mallards and wood ducks harvested on Green Bay due to the contamination of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS).

Based on PFAS testing, the DNR and DHS have issued consumption advisories for two different areas of the bay.

• Lower Green Bay from Longtail Point across to Point au Sable and south to the mouth of the Fox River: do not eat mallards

• Green Bay from the city of Marinette across to Sturgeon Bay and south to Longtail Point. Limit consumption of mallards — one meal per month — and wood ducks — one meal per week.

“This advisory is in effect immediately, and hunters should be aware of this for the fall hunting season,” a DNR release stated.

“Waterfowl were first collected from Green Bay in 2022 to evaluate the existing polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) consumption advisory in lower Green Bay. An additional assessment of PFAS concentrations in breast muscle tissue was included in this effort. In 2023 and 2024, additional duck breast muscle samples were collected. All testing occurred between the months of July and August, increasing the likelihood that the birds were representative of local breeding populations.

“Results from these efforts indicate elevated levels of perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS), a type of PFAS, in the breast muscle of the sampled ducks. The results also indicate that both adult and juvenile ducks in lower Green Bay have higher concentrations of PFOS than in the northern portion of the bay.”

Based on these results, the DNR worked with DHS to develop new PFAS-based consumption guidelines for ducks.

The DNR’s Consumption Advisories and PFAS webpage has a complete list of up-to-date PFAS-based consumption advisories in Wisconsin.

PFAS are a group of human-made chemicals that have been used for decades in various products, such as non-stick cookware, fast food wrappers, stain-resistant sprays and certain types of firefighting foams.

These contaminants have made their way into the environment in a variety of ways, including spills of PFAS-containing materials, discharges of PFAS-containing wastewater to treatment plants and the use of certain types of firefighting foams.

Health risks may increase when fish and wildlife with high levels of PFAS are consumed.

Additional information on the effects of PFAS can be found on the DNR’s website.