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Mercury in Fish
   

It's sad, but fish, while being a healthful food, poses health risks due to levels of mercury and PCBs.  Some fish are far worse than others so we can take steps to minimize exposure to these toxins.  This is especially important for growing children and pregnantDiagram of Mercury cycle women.  The poisons got into our water systems from industrial companies who spew poisons into our air and waters.  Falling to the earth as poisonous rain and snow, and then into our food chain, we are at risk if we don't take precautions.

 

 

"The problem of mercury-contaminated fish is widespread. According to the Environmental Protection Agency's National Listing of Fish and Wildlife Advisories, mercury advisories increased 138% from 1993 to 2002 (from 899 to 2,140). The number of states that have issued mercury advisories has risen steadily from 27 in 1993 to 43 in 2002. As of 2002, more than 12 million lake acres and almost 500,000 river miles were covered by some type of mercury advisory. Currently, 19 states have statewide mercury advisories in freshwater lakes or rivers, and 11 states have statewide advisories for mercury in their coastal waters. Statewide advisories urge people to limit their consumption of all fish and shellfish from freshwater or coastal areas." - Environmental Defense Organization

Mercury is a serious poison to our bodies.  It is also cumulative and is stored in animals (including us) so the bigger, older, and predatory fish have much higher levels than others.

The Vital Choice fish has been tested by an outside company and the levels are minute so that’s why that is the only fish we eat.

 

  
 

Vital Choice Salmon: Natural, Sustainable, Pure

Alaskan salmon are among the purest of all ocean species. In addition to residing in the most remote and pristine waters left on earth, Alaskan salmon are relatively small, short-lived fish that feed at the lower end of the food chain. Consequently they grow free of hazardous levels of contaminants found in larger, longer-lived carnivorous species.

Alaskan Sockeye Salmon: After hatching in their natal rivers, sockeye swim upstream to remote, pristine fresh water lakes where they feed and grow for 1-3 years before migrating out to the Bering Sea. During this latter stage of their lives they feed primarily on phytoplankton and krill brimming with antioxidants and omega-3 nutrients that give the sockeye its dramatic red flesh. Unlike farmed salmon, Alaskan Sockeye and all other wild Alaskan salmon species grow free of antibiotics, pesticides, synthetic coloring agents, growth hormones and GMOs.

For these reasons the EPA, FDA, the Alaska Division of Public Health and other organizations have found Alaskan salmon to be among the purest of seafood options, even recommending them to pregnant and nursing woman as a safe fatty fish source of vitally important nutrients.

 

The FDA is conservative in protecting the health of American consumers. As such, it has set consumption advice for mercury at the 1 ppm (parts per million) level, which is the limit allowed by the FDA for fish intended for human consumption. The level is purposely set 10 times lower than the lowest level associated with health problems (specifically mercury poisoning). This conservative level allows for the greater protection of everyone – adults, children and even unborn babies. In six random samples, Vital Choice sockeye salmon tested at .03 ppm for mercury and NO DETECT for PCBs. To learn more visit About Seafood.

Farm-Raised Fish:  Farm-raised fish are raised in small pens in the ocean secured by nets or in ponds, depending upon the fish species.  As with most industries, maximizing revenues is key so they will stock a pond with as many fish as they can leaving very little room for the fish to move about freely and they are fed pellets of food instead of their natural food (sounds like the chicken and cattle scenarios all over again).  This, in turn, doesn't allow them to use their muscles naturally nor convert their natural food into powerful Omega 3s for us.  Therefore, farm-raised fish doesn't have the health benefits of Wild fish.  Therefore, farm-raised salmon doesn't have the color of natural salmon and they are fed colorings to help make the salmon palatable for our plates.  And of course, it goes, that since they are crammed in next to one another, disease can spread quickly so they are fed antibiotics.  We've heard this story all too often.  Farm-Raised fish is bad for our planet, our bodies and our future.  Make a powerful statement and refuse to eat or purchase farm-raised fish.

According to the Union of Concerned Scientists (www.ucsusa.org), over 68% of all seafood consumed in the United States is imported, and most of it is industrially produced. Many of these commodities are farm-raised and often involve little oversight regarding antibiotic drug use. While the U.S. government has standards that should ban imports with high levels of antibiotics in seafood, there is essentially no enforcement. Farmed salmon have more antibiotics administered by weight than any other form of livestock.

Letter from Vital Choice founder, Randy Hartnell, in response to my concern with eating and offering Tuna and Halibut with all the latest warnings about those fish, particularly canned Albacore Tuna:

From: Randy Hartnell
Sent: Friday, March 12, 2004 8:57 AM
To: annie@deliciousorganics.com
Subject: Re: Special Mercury Issue

Hi Annie,

 The University of Oregon just completed a study of troll (hook and line) caught Pacific albacore and found the average mercury levels to be 0.14 ppm across all samples. Significantly, it also confirmed the relationship between size/age of the fish and it's mercury level. As you know we select only the smallest of the these fish so can confidently state that our tuna is among the cleanest you will find anywhere. It is not mercury "free" (there is no such thing)  but levels are well below those which are considered hazardous and, in my opinion, more than offset by the health benefits of eating it. You frequently read warnings about Albacore because commercial packers use larger fish, sometimes exceeding 1 ppm. Besides being higher in mercury, they are twice-cooked resulting in radically lower omega 3 levels.

We apply the same logic and practice to our halibut. We buy only the smallest fish--10 to 20 lbs, well below the 40 lb AVERAGE sold to the general market.

I'm currently at a conference in Tucson and don't have access to our latest testing but believe our halibut tested in the 0.07 to 0.20 range. comparable to the albacore. It is my belief that one serving of each per week would be perfectly safe and healthy.

Best,

Randy

Mercury content of Fish from Vital Choice

Do you have your fish tested for mercury content?

Yes, Vital Choice regularly submits samples of our fish to an independent state-of-the-art laboratory for contaminant analysis. You can learn more about the lab here.
 

What is the mercury content of your products?

Recent test results on our albacore showed NO DETECT for PCBs and an average total mercury level of .14 parts per million (ppm). This is less than one-sixth of the FDA's recommended "action level" of 1 ppm, and one-third of the .5 ppm average amount recently found in a sampling of supermarket canned tuna:
"Albacore accounts for about one-third of all canned tuna sold in the U.S. and MPP's independent testing found that mercury levels in white canned tuna averaged over 0.5 ppm."
www.mercurypolicy.org

We also recently received test results back on our salmon and halibut: We were pleased (but not surprised) to find that the they were in the barely detectable range of .02--.03 ppm, while the halibut was .04--.07 ppm. These also registered "no detect" for PCBs. Like our albacore, we purchase only the smallest available halibut, typically 15 lbs and under, which is how we can assure you that Vital Choice consistently provides the purest fish available.

For comparison sake we also submitted a sample taken from a larger halibut, which came back at .5 ppm, validating the notion that the higher mercury levels can be avoided by selecting the smallest of the longer-lived fish.

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