New York officials have added broad warnings against eating any fish caught in areas with visible blooms of blue-green algae in the latest lengthy edition of cautions against contaminants in sport-fish.
Updated annually by the health and conservation departments, new advisories note microscopic algae are naturally present in lakes and streams but can mass in warm, shallow, undisturbed surface water.
While most are harmless, some produce toxins.
Officials say people and pets shouldn’t drink the water or swim where blooms discolor the water or form surface scum.
Possible risks are nausea, vomiting, skin irritation, allergic reactions and harm to the liver and nervous system.
The Department of Environmental Conservation plans to start posting an online map of blooms.
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