mercury in fish tissue

[lilstevie]

There is a considerable body of evidence that demonstrates mercury (primarily from incinerators burning garbage) concentrations in fish tissues - fresh and salt water - are often so high that they pose a threat to those who eat large volumes of fish. THe FDA has issued a national advisory to pregnant women warning that they avoid eating shark, swordfish and other predatory fish near the top of the food chain during pregnancy. This advisory also warns women of child-bearing age to consume no more than 12 ounces of store-bought fish per week - of any variety.

Because recreationally caught fish don't fall under FDA jurisdiction, the EPA in January of this year issued it's "National Advice on Mercury in Fish Caught by Family and Friends; for Women who are or may become pregnant, nursing mothers and young children" recommending that these groups limit recreationally caught fish consumption to less than 6 ounces per week.

I am wondering what the attitude of the recreational fisherman is toward this idea that the tissues of fish they catch might be too toxic to safely feed their wives or children? Is this a real issue and one that weighs on the minds of recreational fishermen? Personnally, I had no idea about the warnings until a friend brough them up...and then I did some research. Luckily, I don't often catch keepers.

Steve Monstur

[fishbuster1]

Rest easy. The majority of these reports are pure hype. While some samples may have had trace amounts in them the risks have been way overstated. Overstating the facts creates great fodder for the evening news but in reality the risks are so minute that you would have to eat extrordinary amounts of contaminated fish in order to suffer adverse health affects. Remember life is fatal, you can never remove all the risks in life. Enjoy you fish dinner. By the way, it was the FDA that told us that if we would eat Oat Bran in large quantities we would significantly reduce our risks of a number of health problems only to tell us, ten years later, that their data was flawed.