How much is too much fish to eat?

Rick Lee · Rick Lee's Garage

I eat fish about 4 meals a week, usually for dinner. I love sushi but only have it about once a month or so. Recently some friends told me I was crazy (or someday would be) for eating so much fish because of mercury content. But how much fish these days is really caught in the wild? I'm sure the Chinese restaurants I frequent get their fish from the tanks in the Chinese grocery stores in the same shopping center. We we cook fish at home, we pick it out in the tank and watch the guy kill and clean it. It's always from a stocked tank. When I buy the smoked salmon in the shrink wrapped package, I think that may be wild caught. But everything else I eat is from a stock tank. How much does it take to be in danger of having too much mercury in me?

tabs · 10-08-2006, 04:56 PM

When your tongue gets tired....

widebody911 · widebody911's Garage

Quote:

Originally posted by tabs
When your tongue gets tired....

OTOH, she'll dig the new gills...

Moses · 10-08-2006, 05:37 PM

You will be surprised. I'm betting you are way over the line.
Don't worry about your brain cells. You've got more.

http://www.gotmercury.org/

Rick Lee · Rick Lee's Garage

Thanks Moses. On a heavy week I am at 170% of where I should be. But that data is 15 yrs. old and I'm sure 99% of the fish I eat is farmed and not caugt in the wild. Furthermore, that website is run by folks who are against all sorts of fishing techniques, so I question their motives. Still, taken with a grain of salt, I will cut my intake in half and should be ok.

legion · 10-08-2006, 06:35 PM

I would say look at the Japanese. Most of their diet comes from the sea.

Rick Lee · Rick Lee's Garage

I was thinking that too. Japan has the longest living people in the world and eat fish every day, plenty of it caught in the sea and not farmed. Similar in China, but China's environmental situation is deplorable. So I must be ok.

dan79brooklyn · 10-08-2006, 06:51 PM

I think you are especially supposed to avoid Swordfish, Salmon and other larger fish especially tuna. The wild fish can be high in Mercury. My wife is Japanese and pregnant, so we studied this a bit...Her Japanese relatives said "eat whatever you want" But doctors and nutritionists here said to avoid eating fish more than once a week and not to eat the fish I mentioned.
hard to know for sure, it sucks to avoid eating stuff you like especially when it used to be good for you!

legion · 10-08-2006, 06:52 PM

The way I see it, everything kills you...

Rick Lee · Rick Lee's Garage

I think most of what I eat is talapia. I know for sure when I pick it out of the tank, but am also pretty sure that what comes in the super spicy fish casserole I get at my favorite Sichuan place.

VincentVega · 10-08-2006, 08:07 PM

I wouldnt worry about the fish, the Camel's might be a problem though.

Some of the tree hugger rag's I get bring this up once in a while. Twice a week is recommended, but like you said, most groups that report/study this issue roll fishing practices into it, reducing the validity in my mind.

Rick Lee · Rick Lee's Garage

You mean 6-10 Parliament Ultra Lights a day are worse?

Dottore · 10-08-2006, 09:20 PM

Look at the screen next time you got through airport security. If your liver and nuts glow red - or even orange - you have a problem.

Evans, Marv · 10-08-2006, 09:49 PM

Don't worry about it. None of us will get out of here alive anyway.

artplumber · 10-08-2006, 10:59 PM

Rick,
Did you look up tilapia? I haven't looked it up, but since they're not that high up on the food chain, or farmed in rivers (?) I wouldn't expect a whole bunch of Hg. Farmed salmon get it from industrial runoff in the freshwater, and tuna from being high up on the food chain (usually highest levels Hg when older/bigger).

tabs · 10-09-2006, 02:28 AM

This is a stupid discussion...how the fk much fish will kill ya...geeezus give me a fking break...Go ahead and just eat the beef and get Mad Cow diesase....while your at it...

livi · 10-09-2006, 04:09 AM

Rick,

I am certain the health benefits will out weight the potential risks even if every meal contained fish. Your heart and vessels really appreciate the fatty acid compounds in fish.

adrian jaye · 10-09-2006, 04:11 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Rick Lee
I eat fish about 4 meals a week, usually for dinner. I love sushi but only have it about once a month or so. Recently some friends told me I was crazy (or someday would be) for eating so much fish because of mercury content. But how much fish these days is really caught in the wild? I'm sure the Chinese restaurants I frequent get their fish from the tanks in the Chinese grocery stores in the same shopping center. We we cook fish at home, we pick it out in the tank and watch the guy kill and clean it. It's always from a stocked tank. When I buy the smoked salmon in the shrink wrapped package, I think that may be wild caught. But everything else I eat is from a stock tank. How much does it take to be in danger of having too much mercury in me?

you can't eat too much fish,,, however a "balanced" diet is always good

Bill Verburg · Bill Verburg's Garage

Depends on where the fish came from, 20 years ago 1 from the Hudson was too much, I hear it's 1 a week now

svandamme · svandamme's Garage

i think eating free Willy is to much
Flipper is probably ok though.