| Warning: Most Fish Now Contain Mercury! | | | | -Chilean sea bass |
| - A federal study conducted by the US Geological | | | | -Cod |
| Survey (released in August 2009) found traces of | | | | -Croaker |
| methylmercury, a form of mercury that is readily | | | | -Grouper |
| absorbed, in every fish sampled in 291 streams | | | | -Halibut |
| across the country. | | | | -King Mackerel |
| - In around a quarter of those fish, the amount of | | | | -Lobster (Maine) |
| mercury was above the level set by the | | | | -Mahi Mahi |
| Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as safe for | | | | -Marlin |
| human consumption. | | | | -Monkfish |
| - More than two-thirds of the fish exceeded the EPA | | | | -Largemouth bass |
| level for fish-eating mammals, such as mink and | | | | -Orange Roughy |
| otters. | | | | -Oysters (Eastern, Gulf coast) |
| Where Is The Mercury Coming From? | | | | -Pike |
| The leading source of mercury is pollution from | | | | -Pollock |
| coal-burning power plants, which accounts for 40% | | | | -Salmon (Great Lakes) |
| of all domestic mercury produced as by-products of | | | | -Sea trout |
| human activities. Mercury is released from the | | | | -Shark |
| smokestacks of coal-fired power plants, cement kilns, | | | | -Skate |
| and certain types of mining activities, and deposited | | | | -Snapper |
| in rain and snow, making its way into the water. | | | | -Swordfish |
| From there, it is converted by bacteria into | | | | -Tilefish (golden bass/snapper) |
| methylmercury, which is absorbed by fish, especially | | | | -Tuna steaks and canned tuna |
| in fish that are up the food chain. | | | | -Walleye |
| The larger the fish, the likelier they are to have high | | | | -Whitefish |
| levels of this toxin. The National Resources Defense | | | | Note: The bold ones are among the worst varieties. |
| Council points out that predatory fish, such as shark, | | | | Farm-Raised Fish: Not An Environmentally-Friendly Or |
| swordfish, and mackerel, can have mercury | | | | Healthy Alternative |
| concentrations that are 10,000 times higher than that | | | | Farm-raised fish contributes to the degradation of |
| of their surrounding environment! | | | | marine ecosystems. |
| Mercury Is A Major Health Risk | | | | - Farm-raised fish are fed great quantities of fish |
| When you eat contaminated fish, the mercury | | | | meal, which comes from wild-caught fish. The Organic |
| poisons your brain and nervous system. This is | | | | Consumers Association pointed out that for the 10 |
| especially dangerous for pregnant women and small | | | | species of fish most commonly farmed, it takes 1.9 |
| children. Mercury in the mother's body passes to the | | | | kg of wild fish to produce 1 kg of farm-raised fish. |
| fetus where it accumulates. It can also pass from the | | | | The growing environment at fish farms is similar to |
| mother to a nursing infant through breast milk. If | | | | the animal factory farms everywhere - overcrowded, |
| fetuses or infants are exposed to mercury, it can | | | | sickly, infected animals being fed whatever it takes |
| cause: | | | | to grow them as large as possible in as short a time |
| - Mental retardation | | | | as possible. |
| - Cerebral palsy | | | | - Farm-raised fish, like factory-farmed meat, is |
| - Deafness | | | | pumped full of antibiotics, hormones, and even |
| - Blindness | | | | chemicals to change their color, such as to make |
| Even in low doses, mercury can interfere with a | | | | salmon appear pink. |
| child's development, leading to shortened attention | | | | - Studies have consistently found levels of PCBs, |
| span and learning disabilities. | | | | dioxins, toxaphene, and dieldrin, as well as mercury, |
| In adults, mercury poisoning can be serious too, | | | | to be higher in farm-raised fish than wild fish. |
| causing psychological, neurological, and immunological | | | | Therefore, steer clear from farmed-raised fish as |
| problems. It is linked to: | | | | they are clearly not a healthy food choice. |
| - Trouble with blood pressure regulation | | | | Healthy Choices |
| - Fertility problems | | | | Fortunately, there are still some safe, unpolluted |
| - Memory and vision loss | | | | areas out there, such as in certain pristine waters in |
| - Fatigue | | | | the Arctic, Antarctic, and Alaskan waters. Safe |
| - Neuro-muscular dysfunction | | | | choices of fish to eat regularly are: |
| Further, mercury bonds very firmly to structures in | | | | - Wild Alaskan salmon |
| your central nervous system. Mercury has an | | | | - Smaller fish, like anchovies, herrings, and sardines, |
| extremely long half-life (time to reduce level by 50%) | | | | which are lower in the food chain and less likely to be |
| of somewhere around 15 years in the body. | | | | contaminated. |
| Types Of Seafood To Avoid | | | | Finally, if you decide not to risk your health by eating |
| Sadly, most fish is no longer a healthy food choice. | | | | contaminated fish, you should remember that your |
| Contamination of our oceans and waterways is so | | | | body still has a requirement for omega-3 fats. |
| severe that it is no longer safe to eat the following | | | | Omega-3 fats support heart health, reduce |
| fish and shellfish on a regular basis, especially if you | | | | inflammation, improve cellular integrity, and are vital |
| are pregnant or nursing: | | | | for memory and nervous system functioning. |
| -Bass (black, stripped) | | | | - Take a high quality fish oil supplement, one that is |
| -Blue crab (Gulf coast) | | | | free of detectable levels of harmful contaminants like |
| -Bluefish | | | | mercury, dioxins, lead, and PCBs. |
| -Catfish (wild) | | | | |