Communicating Fish Consumption Advisories in California: What Works, What Doesn’t

Abstract

State agencies face many challenges in creating sport fish consumption advisories that can be readily understood by diverse populations. In this study, our objectives were to identify barriers to understanding consumption advisories and recommend more effective approaches for communicating advisory concepts. We conducted key informant interviews with demographically diverse consumers of sport fish from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta watershed in California to explore how intended audiences perceive consumption advisories and identify factors that influence comprehension. Some barriers to communication included the use of portion sizes that departed from commonly consumed amounts, poorly understood terminology, misleading category headings, and ineffective visual tools. Comprehension was enhanced when advisory information did not contradict existing beliefs about fish or fish consumption, and when advisories provided information about contaminant levels in specific kinds of fish. Using certain methods, such as portion sizes that reflect commonly consumed amounts, mercury meters to convey contaminant levels, three advice categories (e.g., high, medium, low), and population definitions that identify specific age ranges, improved the clarity of advisory concepts for intended audiences.