The National Fisheries Institute is urging the mainstream press to report cautiously on a U.S. Geological Survey study released on Wednesday regarding mercury contamination in freshwater fish.
From 1998 to 2005, the USGS tested thousands of fish from 291 rivers and streams across the United States, and every sample contained traces of mercury, a neurotoxin. However, in only about one-quarter of the samples did the mercury levels exceed what the Environmental Protection Agency deems safe for consumers who eat an average amount of fish.
“This study shows just how widespread mercury pollution has become in our air, watersheds and many of our fish,” said Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar in a 19 August press release. “This science sends a clear message that our country must continue to confront pollution, restore our nation’s waterways and protect the public from potential health dangers.”
NFI fears the mainstream press and consumers will misinterpret the study to think it involved commercially produced fish, when only recreationally caught fish were tested. The McLean, Va., industry group reiterated that the seafood found in restaurants and supermarkets is commercially produced and is safe to consume.
NFI pointed to a USGS study released in May that found mercury levels in the North Pacific in 2006 were about 30 percent higher than in the mid-1990s. The study also projected mercury levels in the North Pacific to increase 50 percent by 2050 if mercury emission rates continue to rise.
However, the study’s authors did not test seafood, only ocean waters, and some media outlets misreported that mercury levels in commercially caught fish in North Pacific is rising, said NFI.
