Are certain fish species unsafe to eat

[lindisfel]

Studies into temperate populations of Orcas (killer whales) show they are facing extinction.
This because they are top of the food chain and the seas are still very contaminated by polychlorinated biphenyls- a toxic man made oil that gets into fat tissue.

Two prey species are particularly affected. Tuna that man and Orcas eat and the seal population around Scotland and north of England.
PCB gets into body fat and stops reproduction. Because Orcas have c.40% fat milk the little Orcas have being getting a load of it for years.

Seals, further down the food chain are not affected so much as they were in the Baltic.

Unfortunately Icelandic Orcas that were safe are coming south to eat seals and are therefore building up PCBs in there fat tissue. The seal population in the UK has rocketed since they stopped controlling them.

I was exposed to PCB's when I was a transmitter engineer and we didn't know how toxic they were and the large components that had them were eventually removed when we found out.

However burning PCB's at lower temperatures produces dioxins which are extremely toxic, if you remember Bhopal?

I wouldnt subject your Tuna to any heat!

This gives me reservation about my consumption of fresh Mackerel.
Derek

 

[britishpub]

Are certain fish species unsafe to eat

Japanese Blowfish (Fugu)

 

[Deleted member 308541]

Japanese Blowfish (Fugu)

Some of same family here in Australia will kill you as well.

Then there is Ciguatera poisoning in some of our reef fish and barracuda, that can make you pretty sick if you eat them.

 

[Alexandra100]

This gives me reservation about my consumption of fresh Mackerel.

Me too, but mackerel tinned in virgin olive oil from Tesco is both cheap and delicious (and of course convenient), so I have been suppressing my misgivings. It is labelled as "Scottish" which suggests to me that customers don't want to eat mackerel caught in the English Channel or the Irish Sea. But then mackerel are mobile.

 

[Alexandra100]

I have been Googling and have discovered that Scottish mackerel = Atlantic mackerel and is considered OK to eat at least twice a week, unlike the larger Spanish mackerel or King mackerel.

 

[Scott-C]

It is labelled as "Scottish" which suggests to me that customers don't want to eat mackerel caught in the English Channel

Well, there's a simple answer to that, Alexandra: our Scottish mackerel spend their days doing lotsa healthy swimming up and down in the crystal clear blue waters off Mull and Tiree, whereas English mackerel sit around watching Sky TV, and ask teenagers hanging around the docks in Liverpool to nip into town and buy them a kebab. A few of them have been spotted picking up fag ends with their fins and asking for a light.

No contest really, David Attenborough has filmed it....

 

[kev-w]

My mum once told a story about the local cod and haddock being tastier in the war due to all the ships being sunk, went down well with a fish supper

On a more serious note how about tuna and mercury or some similar poison? I think I read about a risk if you eat too much and I do a tin most days....

 

[Alexandra100]

My mum once told a story about the local cod and haddock being tastier in the war due to all the ships being sunk, went down well with a fish supper

On a more serious note how about tuna and mercury or some similar poison? I think I read about a risk if you eat too much and I do a tin most days....

It somewhat depends on which kind of tuna. Google and you will see. Personally I wouldn't touch tuna. As well as being concerned about pollution I worry about dolphins being killed in the nets. Have you tried tinned mackerel in olive oil? The Tesco brand really is delicious. It's a good price too. https://www.tesco.com/groceries/en-GB/products/271184067
The only problem is what to do with the leftover olive oil afterwards.

 

[kev-w]

I tend to eat Morrison's tuna chunks in brine, I'd not use the ones in oil as for me it's a hi protein low fat low carb lunch and worry more about squeezing all the brine out, says dolphin friendly on the tin and it's the only tinned fish I like

Fresh mackerel is ok. a bit too oily to eat every day but I'd not turn my nose up at it.

 

[Deleted member 308541]

Seals are giving a bit of payback to humans for the sith we pollute the rivers and oceans with.