Fish

A cold-blooded aquatic animal that lives in every region of the world. The highly nutritious meat of the fish is harvested for food consumption, while the oil contained in the fish is extracted to be used as a food product or as an industrial product made into a variety of other products. There are numerous fresh water and salt-water fish species that are harvested throughout the world and in some regions, especially many Asian countries, it is one of the most important sources of protein and nutrients available. High in omega-3 fatty acids, fish help to provide protection from some heart illnesses. Today there is considerable concern regarding the overfishing of various species, leading to a significant decline in populations and potential for extinction. Another concern is the PCB and mercury levels of the water in which the fish live, thus raising the PCB and mercury levels found in the meat of the fish. Consequently, fish and shellfish are beginning to be catagorized into groups listing species that should be consumed and species that should be avoided. From an environmentally friendly aspect, those generally felt safe to eat are the farm raised varieties of catfish, caviar, clams, mussels, oysters, and tilapia. Other varieties considered safe and in sufficient supply are dungeness crabs, halibut from the pacific, salmon from Alaskan waters or canned salmon, sardines, striped bass, albacore tuna, big-eye tuna, or yellowfin tuna. The varieties considered environmentally bad are caviar taken from sea fish, Chilean sea bass, Pacific cod, Atlantic flounder, grouper, monkfish, orange roughy, Atlantic and farm raised salmon ), shark, snapper, sturgeon, and bluefin tuna. Farm raised salmon are listed because they typically require significant amounts of mackerel, herring and other fish as feed. However, if the source is dependable and uses environmentally sound practices, then farm raised salmon can be considered okay to consume except, they typically have been found to contain higher levels of PCB than wild salmon. Species that are identified as those having the highest levels of mercury are fresh tuna, king mackerel, shark, swordfish, and tilefish. Consuming a variety of fish, eating approximatly one 3.5 ounce servings or less of fatty varieties (like tuna, salmon, and sardines) twice a week is thought to be a good guideline to follow for good health and nutrition.