Galveston Bay’s commercial seafood fishery is the most productive of all the bays in Texas, contributing more than 40% of the Texas annual commercial harvest. While Seafood Consumption Advisories for fish captured in the Houston Ship Channel and Galveston Bay do exist in some areas, the vast majority of seafood harvested from the Bay is safe to eat.  Toxic contaminants enter the Bay’s food web through biomagnification. Additionally, bacteria can be found in shellfish such as oysters, making raw or partially cooked shellfish a risk for people with compromised immune systems. As is the case in many estuaries around the US, seafood harvested commercially and recreationally from Galveston Bay can be enjoyed by many. It is important to learn about risk factors, especially for children, pregnant and nursing mothers, and people with existing health issues.

Many of our region’s bayous have little natural flow. That means the water you see in area bayous originates as rainfall runoff from the land or discharges from wastewater treatment plants. With the high number of people, livestock, and pets living in the area, and an aging sewage infrastructure, bacteria and viruses from humans and other warm-blooded animals can cause illness and infection in those who come into contact with impaired water. In 2022, bacteria concentrations exceeded screening levels in five percent of samples collected from Galveston Bay, indicating that the risk of infection while swimming in the open waters of the Bay remained low, maintaining an A. The rivers, streams and bayous received a B this year. Eight watershed received A’s, nine received B’s, three received C’s, and two, Bray’s Bayou and White Oak Bayou, received D’s. In spite of overall grades, swimming in certain rivers, streams, and bayous upstream from Galveston Bay may be discouraged, as 30 percent of samples collected in these urban and suburban areas still exceeded screening levels in 2022. Check the map of High Swim Risk Watersheds below. To see if a swim advisory is in place, at recreational beaches such as Sylvan Beach Park, check the Beach Watch Program and Swim Guide.