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FISH RISK OR HEALTH FOOD?

The Food And Drug Administration (FDA) has very good guidelines in place for making sure that seafood in America is safe to eat but actually, maybe only 3% of all shellfish and seafood U.S. consumers eat gets inspected, making seafood the least inspected of all foods! This means that there is little assurance that consumers will not get sick eating contaminated seafood.

Due to possible high levels of mercury contamination, certain fish should possibly be avoided or eaten considerably less, like once a week at most in some cases, especially if you are pregnant or if children are eating it. The culprit fish seem to be king mackerel, tile fish, tuna, swordfish and shark. Half of the swordfish sample tested by the FDA had unacceptable levels of mercury!

The FDA found that up to 34% of the stores selling fish were not keeping their fish cold enough contributing to possible contamination, not to mention potential poor hygiene from counter clerks. Remember, that the freshest seafood ends up displayed in stores or goes to restaurants while fish that is less than absolutely fresh may likely end up getting processed then frozen into foods like fish sticks.

Furthermore, commercial fishing boats may have the problem of histamine contamination caused when captured fish are not chilled fast enough, but this type contamination is not considered potentially deadly despite causing hives and other nasty reactions. The FDA found that 1 in 8 samples of tuna tested had unacceptable levels of histamine.

Half of the red snapper samples tested by the FDA were actually other species of fish being passed off as red snapper. Half of the shrimp tested contained smaller shrimp than was being advertised. Also, up to 25% of all the fish tested by the FDA were on the brink of spoilage. Remember that fish is among the most perishable of foods and shellfish cause nearly 75% of all seafood-related illness cases.

Fish flesh can accumulate toxins up to a million times as concentrated as those in the waters they live in. Moreover, the flesh of shrimp and scallops contains more cholesterol than beef. Fish raised on fish farms may be fed antibiotics which can be passed along to humans possibly impairing your immune system. The Center For Disease Control And Prevention reports that hundreds of thousands of U.S. consumers get sick and even some die every year eating contaminated seafood.

Additionally, fish feel pain and fear just like birds and mammals. When dragged from the ocean depths fish can feel excruciating decompression rupturing their organs, popping out their eyes and pushing their stomachs and livers out through their mouths. They are then tossed on board the boat as they slowly suffocate, or worse yet, while still alive they may be slit open and gutted!

SUPPLEMENTAL SOURCES: ABC-TV & CBS-TV NEWS 2/13/01 ABC-TV 20/20 1/12/01 CONSUMER REPORTS MAGAZINE FEBRUARY 2001 PETA NOVEMBER 2000

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