Eating fish everyday & get mercury poisoning OR die of a str

Onesnap

I still think dosage is relevant, but I'd say you'd have to eat a pretty large quantity of fish for it to become a concern.

Yeah, pretty much.

Some people go to crazy lengths so it's always worth highlighting the issue. At the same time discouraging people from eating fish isn't what we want to achieve.

Plus, the OP lives on the coast of Massachusetts. Supporting the local resources and economy is key. Many of the fisherman here are the 3rd or 4th generation in their families to earn their living from the sea. Buy from a small family owned fish market or a seafood share (like a farm share for seafood) or farmer's market if you can. I'm 20 miles from the ocean and all of the farmer's markets near me have seafood.

Vercell

Wow I eat alot of fish cause I also dont like meat. Great info

jackieatx

I 100% understand what you're saying. I would be able to hit my protein intake for the day without tuna, because cheese would send me over the fat rainbow. Those people that warn you about your mercury intake... Do you warn them back about their corn and soy intake? Their chemical intake when they eat non organic foods? They can relax. They are taking in way worse than mercury on a daily basis.

Trechechus

Personally I hate sea food, but I'm cool with other people eating it, as long as they keep in mind sustainability. Just make sure you make wise decisions to keep fish populations healthy and keep the oceans alive. I know it's not something people often think about, but it's really important. I saw that somebody already posted a link to the different levels of Hg in different fish species, and I'm going to add on the link to the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch guidelines for to help with sustainability.

http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/cr/SeafoodWatch/web/sfw_regional.aspx

(Can you tell I work at an aquarium?)

mem50

Since my husband has been fishing in a small lake up north of us all our fish is really fresh. I have about 10 bags in the freezer right now. Perch, Sunfish and Bluegill. Great on the grill. The lake has been tested and no mercury found so I feel real good about eating these guys. Best thing is there is more to come!! I really did not know how much fish has gone up. Went to a store here that has the Farm Bluegill and they wanted 16.99 a pound! Right now I have close to 15 lbs in the freezer. All it cost us was the sharing of gas to get up there (it's his friends cottage) and the worms and grubs for the poles.

_ylime_

If you are concerned about mercury consumption I would limit the amount of fish, such as King mackerel, tilefish (from the Gulf of Mexico), shark, swordfish, and tuna, that you eat. It sounds like you have a nice variety so I wouldn't be all that concerned...

However here is some food for thought - I think it is best to provide people with some information and they can make an informed decision for themselves

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"A variety of seafood should be consumed; individuals with very high consumption (≥5 servings/wk) should limit intake of species highest in mercury levels"

"Mercury is a reactive heavy metal emitted from natural sources (volcanoes) and human sources (coal-fired electric power plants, gold mining, institutional boilers, chlorine production, and waste incineration). From the atmosphere, mercury cycles from rainwater into lakes and oceans, where it is converted by microbial activity into organic methylmercury. Inorganic mercury is poorly absorbed following ingestion, and elemental mercury does not readily cross tissue barriers. In contrast, methylmercury is readily absorbed and actively transported into tissues. Thus, methylmercury bioaccumulates in aquatic food chains and has greater potential toxicity than inorganic mercury.Concentrations of methylmercury in aquatic species depend on levels of environmental contamination and on the predatory nature and lifespan of the species. Larger, longer-living predators (eg, swordfish, shark) have higher tissue concentrations, while smaller or shorter-lived species (eg, shellfish, salmon) have very low concentrations (Table 2). Preparation methods have little impact on methylmercury content."

***There is a nice table in this article that depicts Mercury levels (among other things) in different fish species.


Peer Reviewed Article on Fish Consumption:
http://jama.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=203640


Some helpful information on seafood safety:
http://www.fishwatch.gov/eating_seafood/health_and_safety.htm



Hope this is helpful.