The Kansas Department of Health and Environment and the Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism has issued revised fish consumption advisories for 2014.
The advisories identify types of fish or other aquatic animals that should be eaten in limited quantities or, in some cases, avoided altogether because of contamination.  
General advice and internet resources are also provided to aid the public in making informed decisions regarding the benefits as well as the risks associated with eating locally caught fish from Kansas waters.
In waterbodies where advisories or warnings related to harmful algae blooms have been applied, like Great Bend’s Veterans Park Lake,  fish should be consumed in moderation and care taken to only consume skinless fillets.  Avoid cutting into internal organs and as a precaution rinse fillets with clean water prior to cooking or freezing.
While fish and shellfish contain high-quality protein and a host of other beneficial traits, like essential nutrients and omega-3 fatty acids, and are low in saturated fats, they still need to be consumed in moderation.  Nearly all fish and shellfish contain traces of mercury.  And that’s not all.  Other contaminants that leach or fall into water are consumed by fish too.  Depending on what and where the fish eat, this could mean higher or lower concentrations.  
Higher concentrations of mercury, PCBs and other contaminants build up in fish over time, depending on what they eat.  Larger fish have higher concentration in their bodies than smaller fish.  
KDHE advises the public not to eat bottom feeding and shellfish from six rivers and streams, including the Kansas River from Lawrence downstream to Eudora, Spring River in Cherokee County, Shoal Creek from the Missouri-Kansas border to Empire Lake in Cherokee County, Cow Creek in Hutchinson and downstream to the confluence with the Arkansas River, The Arkansas River from the Lincoln Street dam in Wichita downstream to the confluence with Cowskin Creek near Belle Plaine, and all fish in Horseshoe Lake in Cherokee County because of the presence of perchlorate.
In waterbodies where advisories or warnings related to harmful algae blooms have been applied, like Great Bend’s Veterans Park Lake,  fish should be consumed in moderation and care taken to only consume skinless fillets.  Avoid cutting into internal organs and as a precaution rinse fillets with clean water prior to cooking or freezing.
For more information, view the notice at the KDHE website, http://www.kdheks.gov/news/web_archives/2012/01052012b.htm