Mercury in Fish 101

By now you probably know there is a chance that some of the fish you eat contain mercury.

It's hard to think that eating seafood may not be good for our health, but in certain cases, it may be true. How mercury gets into fish and onto your plate remains a mystery for most people. They know the issue exists, but they don't have the facts straight.

The Blue Ocean Institute now has an entertaining and informative feature on their website called Mercury: Not the Planet that takes viewers through some simple history and science lessons, explaining what the deal is with mercury in fish.

By the end you'll know that eating large predatory fish such as shark, tuna, and mackerel, increases your chances for mercury exposure, and that by using a guide such as Blue Ocean's Guide to Ocean-Friendly Seafood, you can make wise choices about your seafood, both in restaurants and at the market.

Comments (4)

Related to this, did anyone listen to the story about salmon fishing in CA this morning? I was drowsy, but it sounds like one particular community that fishes at the Shinook river is in danger of having the whole fishing season shut down, because parasites and some other bad thing in the water has developed , and the river water is also being depleted, as it is being diverted for agricultural reasons... So a lot fo fishing peole are up in arms and the fish might be bad to eat... Well, I think the fishing season is somehow going to be saved, but then we still have the parasite problem... apparently next year when the new salmon go out to the ocean, they will mingle with other salmon form other rivers... and guess what they'll be spreading along the way? Bad news in CA.

I'm having salmon for lunch, by the way.

This seems to be a really hot issue lately, and one which I've followed because my husband and I have been trying to eat seafood several times a week. I even did a short piece and accompanying recipe for a website I contribute to.

Another handy link is http://www.gotmercury.org/ - there's a calculator tool you can use to find out approximately how much mercury you're getting from the seafood you eat in a given meal or series of meals - and using it has certainly changed the way I plan menus for the week.

Has anyone else seen the fishscam.com full-page ad in this week's New Yorker? Looks like the fishing industry is fighting back.

I didn't see the story this morning about salmon, but just the other day my boyfriend and I were talking about salmon this year will be harder/more expensive to get as the fisherman have been fighting a battle here on the west coast. Our farmers market has the best fresh fish around here, needless to say I am concerned for their well being, as well as ours this summer.