Mercury levels in Speckled Trout and Red Fish

[SS-342]

I've done some research on mercury levels on our in-shore fish, mainly trout and red's. What I've found is a little confusing. Seems the greatest source of mercury is teeth fillings. Our in-shore fish seems to be well below the harmful thresh-whole but the recommended portion is well below what I eat. One fish per week seem low to me.

If someone on the forum know about this subject please share your knowledge with us. Just how serious is our exposure to mercury and what would you recommend we do when it comes to eating our catch.

Thanks

[ggoodman]

So Mercury, a very heavy metal can be stores in any cell of an organism. Short of a mercury dump in the Gulf fish do not come into contact with mercury high % sources. Instead environmental pollution has put a low level of mercury in ocean wates, the level can vary by region. Appears the "solution to pollution is dilution" matra only works so long.

Mercury can be adsorbed orally, or transdermally (though the skin). So the teenty ity bity fish pick up a little just be beeing there plus what they eat, the larger predators eat more little fish thus build up mercury in their body faster than they can eliminate it.

The larger and older the fish generally the higher the merc content. Because they have had more time to consume other fish containing mercury.

Generally we will not eat enough fish to build up sufficient merc levels to cause symptoms in an adult. Just like fish, our bodies can rid themselves of mercury but this is a slow process with out medical intervention. Birth and developmental defects as a result of mercury exposure show up at much lower levels. This is why pregnant and nursing moms are to avoid certain tuna and other large predatory fish(remember the older fish have higher merc levels).

conclusion: Don't base your diet on grouper or other larger older predatory fish, variety it the spice of life so apply it to your diet. Eat more salmon, short life span and low low merc levels as a result.

This is a simplified version if you would like the nitty gritty tech info let me know and I can point you to all the scholarly reading you could dream of.

[charlie tuna]

In the late seventies, Florida commercial fishermen started fishing for Swordfish when the Bahamas government stopped them from fishing in their waters. As more and more swordfish were caught, someone brought up the problem of "mercury poisoning"?? After about a year of investigations, they concluded you would have to eat swordfish twice a day for 15 years before the amount of mercury would effect your lifespan!!
But one of my fishing buddies basically grew up in Everglades National Park and he ate snook "day in" and "day out"!! In his early fifties, he had some medical problem and it really had the doctors puzzled!!! They tested and tested him for months -- turned our to be "mercury poisoning"! He now is on a program to fight the effects.

[Scoop Sea]

In the late seventies, Florida commercial fishermen started fishing for Swordfish when the Bahamas government stopped them from fishing in their waters. As more and more swordfish were caught, someone brought up the problem of "mercury poisoning"?? After about a year of investigations, they concluded you would have to eat swordfish twice a day for 15 years before the amount of mercury would effect your lifespan!!
But one of my fishing buddies basically grew up in Everglades National Park and he ate snook "day in" and "day out"!! In his early fifties, he had some medical problem and it really had the doctors puzzled!!! They tested and tested him for months -- turned our to be "mercury poisoning"! He now is on a program to fight the effects.

I don't think personally I could draw a direct line between your friends intake of snook to Mercury poisoning as an adult. Mercury is very common in everyday uses and his exposure, that led to his Mercury poisoning, may have come from some other means (fillings, exposures in the work setting, exposures in his home due to a release he was unaware of,etc). I'm not downplaying his condition, but there is too much data missing in that scenario to positively tie it to his snook intake.

If I were your friend, I would ask the State of Florida DEP to come to his home and do Mercury screenings with a Lumex Meter. If there is spilled Mercury in the home (like from a grandfather clock ballast, etc) the Lumex meter will find it. Of course, his exposure may have come from a previous residence, etc, so this may not find the original source, but it's probably worth looking in to.

[SS-342]

Thanks forum members for you response. We are blessed with so many knowledgable members!

I think I'll keep on eating my catch and not worry about it.