If your locavoring efforts include line catching fish in nearby waterbodies, make sure to find out about potential health risks associated with your local fish. Southern Californians got a new set of safe eating guidelines for local fish — with far stricter warnings than before!
The problem: We’ve got PCBs, DDTs, chlordane, dieldrin, and mercury. As Mark Gold, president of local environmental nonprofit Heal the Bay explains: “DDT and PCB manufacturing was banned over 30 years ago, but there are still over 100 tons of DDT and PCBs contaminating the sediments off of the Palos Verdes coast.”
So, after analyzing a “total of 1,373 fish from 22 species or species groups,” the California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment’s new guidelines (PDF) released new warnings for fish caught between Ventura Harbor and San Mateo Point. As you can see from the illustrated charts, some fish like barred sand bass, topsmelt and white croaker should be avoided altogether by everyone.
Though these new recommendations are tougher, Mark suggests that they’re still not tough enough. For one, the cancer risk for fish consumption was set at 1 in 10,000. “1 in 100,000 to 1 in a million is the norm and those ranges are the risk levels used by EPA,” Mark says.
In addition, the recommendations are based on skin-off filets. “That means that the risk to fish consumers is even higher if they eat whole fish or fish with skin,” Mark says. “The recommendations from OEHHA, although extremely scary, are definitely fishy in their underestimating of the health risks to substantial sensitive populations.”
To learn more about healthy and eco-friendly fish choices, see Monterey Bay Aquarium‘s Seafood Watch site. If you’re more the documentary film type, The End of the Line is in theaters now.
Earlier: Greenpeace’s latest seafood sustainability scorecard and Tuna trivia: How much albacore can you eat?
Images via oehha.ca.gov
I took out my Monterey Bay card when I was shopping at Trader Joe’s yesterday and was somewhat shocked to discover that nearly all the fish for sale was in the unsafe/unsustainable column.
Don Hosek’s last blog post..The Streets of Santa Monica (in Alphabetical Order) Bryn Mawr Avenue and California Avenue
Comment by Don Hosek — June 23, 2009 @ 3:23 pm
Great resource for those who fish locally! When shopping, I’m using Neil Banas’ great chart: http://tinyurl.com/kmeu3d and the MSC certification. TJs doesn’t have anything that meets both criteria. Whole Foods usually has one or two things. I’ve cut fish consumption to twice a month. Go see ‘End of the Line’
Comment by mel — June 23, 2009 @ 3:47 pm
Thanks for the link, mel! Ok — I’m not sure whether both of you are commenting on the link above about Greenpeace’s scorecard, which specifically calls out Trader Joe’s as a flunkie — or whether you’re just reporting something you noticed…. But in case it was the latter, Greenpeace’s scorecard’s helpful in pointing you towards stores that have a wider selection of good seafood options.
Comment by Siel — June 24, 2009 @ 5:44 pm
How depressing! It makes me wonder how safe the fish and crabs were that we caught in the Gulf of Mexico near Houston when I was growing up. I can’t imagine they are doing much better.
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Comment by M — June 24, 2009 @ 9:40 pm
It is rather sad — especially because the people I see fishing off the Santa Monica pier always look pretty happy and relaxed….
Comment by Siel — June 25, 2009 @ 7:44 pm