Health Officials: Don’t Eat Fish from These Michigan Lakes

There’s nothing like spending a day on the water and reeling in dinner for the night… unless that dinner comes with a side of toxic chemicals. Seriously, this is the last thing Michigan residents should have to worry about.

Health officials just dropped a big ol’ “Do Not Eat” warning on fish from four local lakes and ponds after finding some nasty chemical levels in them.

Michigan Health Officials Warn Against Eating Local Fish

According to MLive, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) says high amounts of PFOS, a type of PFAS chemical, showed up in fish pulled from these West Michigan bodies of water:

West Michigan Lakes Added to “Do Not Eat” Advisory List

• Hopewell Indian Mounds Pond in Wyoming

• Luvis Lake in Grandville

• Porter Lake in Grandville

• Spelman Lake at the Wyoming Clean Water Plant

The problem is, PFOS hangs out in the actual muscle of the fish, so trimming fat won’t make a difference. MDHHS says eating these fish could mess with your thyroid, liver, cholesterol, and even cause issues during pregnancy. Not exactly the kind of side dish anyone’s looking for.

Dr. Natasha Bagdasarian, the state’s chief medical exec, put it bluntly: if a fish makes the “Do Not Eat” list, don’t eat it. Period. You don’t have to tell me twice. If someone says the fish is toxic, trust me, I’m not going anywhere near it.

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A community meeting is set for Sept. 24 at Wyoming City Hall if folks want more info, and the 2025 Eat Safe Fish guidebook is now out with all the updated advisories. You can also hit up Michigan.gov/EatSafeFish for the latest.

It’s a pretty sad state we’re in when we can’t even safely fish for our own food.

The Lakes Mentioned Above Aren’t the Only Ones to Worry About