TDEC Shares Update on Fish Sampling in Nolichucky, Pigeon Rivers

The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) in August 2018 issued precautionary fish consumption advisories for smallmouth bass and channel catfish in the downstream portion of the Nolichucky River in Cocke and Hamblen counties and in the downstream portion of the Pigeon River in Cocke County.

The advisories were issued due to levels of mercury in fish exceeding the Environmental Protection Agency and Food and Drug Administration’s recommended  trigger point of 0.3 parts per million. Previously, Tennessee had used a 0.5 trigger point for precautionary advisories for mercury based on only FDA guidance.

A precautionary advisory recommends that pregnant or nursing mothers and children avoid eating the fish species included in the advisory and that all others limit consumption to one meal per month. Other recreational activities such as boating, swimming, wading, and catch-and-release fishing carry no risk from mercury. 

“Because eating fish with elevated levels of mercury is a risk Tennesseans can avoid, we provide this information so that the fishing community can make informed choices about whether or not to consume the fish they catch,” said Jennifer Dodd, director of TDEC’s Division of Water Resources. 

Today, the department is sharing with the public its most recent fish sampling data from the two rivers.

“We made a promise to the public in 2018 to provide an update on the fish sampling data we collect from the Nolichucky and the Pigeon rivers in the fall,” Dodd said.  “Today we are delivering on that promise, though the data indicate we need to continue with the advisories until future testing indicates levels recede to below the trigger point.”

The 0.3 trigger point was recommended to states as part of a joint EPA/FDA publication in 2001 that was later incorporated into Tennessee’s water quality standards. According to the EPA, atmospheric deposition due to the global burning of coal is the most frequent reason for elevated levels of mercury in fish.

The 2018 advisory for the Nolichucky River extended from the mouth of the Nolichucky on the French Broad River (Douglas Reservoir) upstream to the mouth of Bent Creek at mile 14.9. The advisory for the Pigeon River extended from the mouth of the Pigeon on the French Broad River upstream to Vinson Island where Interstate 40 crosses the river near mile 12.4.

Fish collections on the Nolichucky River will resume in the summer of 2019. Fish collections on the Pigeon River will resume in the spring and summer of 2019.

Fall 2018 Study Results

Fish samples were collected in the Tennessee portion of the Nolichucky River in the fall of 2018 at river mile 8.5 (Hurley Island), at mile 20.9 (Conway Bridge), at mile 68 (David Crockett Birthplace State Park), and at mile 83.9 (off Charlie Carson Road). The results of the 2018 samples for the Nolichucky River are documented in the following tables.

Site Specific Mercury Results (downstream to upstream): 

Hurley Island, Nolichucky River mile 8.5

Date CollectedFish SpeciesSample TypeNumber of Fish in SampleResult (mercury in mg/kg)
Aug. 28, 2018Smallmouth bassIndividual10.304
Aug. 28, 2018Smallmouth bassIndividual10.231

Upstream Conway Bridge, Nolichucky River mile 20.9


Date Collected

Fish Species

Sample Type
Number of Fish in SampleResult (mercury in mg/kg)
Aug. 27, 2018White crappieIndividual10.183
Aug. 27, 2018Smallmouth bassIndividual10.193
Aug. 27, 2018Smallmouth bassIndividual10.195
Aug. 27, 2018Smallmouth bassComposite30.121
Oct. 10, 2018Channel catfishComposite20.219
Oct. 10, 2018Channel catfishComposite30.160
Oct. 10, 2018Spotted bassIndividual10.348
Oct. 10, 2018Smallmouth bassIndividual10.207
Oct. 10, 2018Spotted bassIndividual10.197

Near David Crockett Birthplace State Park, Nolichucky River mile 68


Date Collected

Fish Species

Sample Type
Number of Fish in SampleResult (mercury in mg/kg)
Aug. 29, 2018RockbassComposite50.161
Aug. 29, 2018RockbassComposite40.168
Aug. 29, 2018Smallmouth bassComposite20.159
Oct. 29, 2018Smallmouth bassComposite50.225

Near Charlie Carson Road, Nolichucky River mile 83.9


Date Collected

Fish Species

Sample Type
Number of Fish in SampleResult (mercury in mg/kg)
Aug. 29, 2018Redbreast sunfishComposite40.100
Aug. 29, 2018Smallmouth bassIndividual10.292
Aug. 29, 2018Smallmouth bassComposite40.286

Fish samples were collected in the Tennessee portion of the Pigeon River in the fall of 2018 at river mile 7.6 (Tannery Island), mile 16.5 (Denton) and at mile 24.7 (Waterville). The results of these samples are documented in the following tables.

Site Specific Mercury Results (downstream to upstream): 

Tannery Island, Pigeon River mile 7.6


Date Collected

Fish Species

Sample Type
Number of Fish in SampleResult (mercury in mg/kg)
Sept. 24, 2018Smallmouth bassComposite20.293
Sept. 24, 2018Smallmouth bassComposite40.240
Sept. 24, 2018Channel catfishIndividual10.456
Sept. 24, 2018Channel catfishComposite30.104

Near Denton, Pigeon River mile 16.5


Date Collected

Fish Species

Sample Type
Number of Fish in SampleResult (mercury in mg/kg)
Oct. 22, 2018Channel catfishComposite20.142
Oct. 9, 2018Channel catfishComposite30.098
Sept. 26, 2018Smallmouth bassIndividual10.274
Sept. 26, 2018Smallmouth bassComposite60.250
Sept. 26, 2018Smallmouth bassComposite30.230
Sept. 26, 2018WalleyeIndividual10.670
Sept. 26, 2018WalleyeComposite30.179

Waterville, Pigeon River mile 24.7 (near state line)


Date Collected

Fish Species

Sample Type
Number of Fish in SampleResult (mercury in mg/kg)
Oct. 9, 2018Channel catfishComposite20.164
Oct. 23, 2018Smallmouth bassComposite20.385
Oct. 23, 2018Smallmouth bassComposite30.210
Source: TWRA