Mercury in shark fins

[wahlaoeh]

Hi, I have read in many reports about the high levels of mercury found in shark fins posing health hazards but am puzzled why isn't shark fins ban in most counties. Can anyone provide how high is high? I'm just wondering that with the recent worldwide ban on China's products containing Melamine resulting in most countries having more stringent checks. Maybe we can take this opportunity to emphasize to our government or AVA (Agri-Food & Vetinerary Authority) to perform checks on shark fins. I hope someone can provide me with this information so that I can write in to the Authority.

Many thanks ..

Jovin-

 

[kathydee]

Fish with high mercury -Mackerel (King) , Marlin, Orange Roughy,Shark, Swordfish,Tilefish,Tuna,(Bigeye, Ahi)

Maybe this will help- http://gotmercury.org/
It's a nifty little tool to calculate personal mercury intake.

Don't think the shark fin would have more mercury than the body? And of course mercury content would increase with size and age - so this tool can only provide an estimate.The results of a sushi dinner are a bit shocking!

Just googled "shark fin/mercury" - lots of info - snaged a quick line from a shark fin article : The base of one sample contained 2.42 parts per million of mercury - more than four times the 0.5ppm permitted.
________________________________________________________________________________________________
Here is the base line info for the USA's EPA & the WHO

"A reference dose (RfD) is the estimated daily dose of a substance that can be consumed safely over a lifetime, even for sensitive populations.

In 2001, EPA validated the current RfD for mercury of 0.1 micrograms per kilogram of body weight per day that was established in 1996. However, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) have recommended regulatory levels that are significantly less stringent than EPA’s reference dose.

FDA has established an acceptable daily intake for mercury of 0.4 micrograms per kilogram of body weight per day. ATSDR has stated that "daily intake of methylmercury at a level of 0.3 micrograms per kilogram [of] body weight per day for extended periods up to a lifetime presents no risk of adverse health outcomes in even the most sensitive human populations (pregnant women, developing fetuses, and young children)."2

In 2003, the World Health Organization (WHO) revised its recommendation for safe intake levels for mercury in food to 1.6 micrograms per kilogram of body weight per week. In fact, the reference dose for mercury adopted by WHO is more than two times greater, and ATSDR’s is three times greater, than EPA’s reference dose. EPA’s reference dose is the lowest due to the inclusion of an extremely conservative safety factor." (http://www.nrdc.org/health/effects/mercury/guide.asp)

Good luck initiating a shark fin ban in Singapore!

 

[vladimir]

A ban might be a long-shot, but I think many younger Singaporeans are pretty receptive to ecological concerns. Moreso than here in Hong Kong, it seems to me. That mercury calculator is a great idea--selfish health concerns might be a better motivator than ecological concerns (notwithstanding the legions of smokers and morbidly obese overeaters).

The bad news is, I eat sushi a few times a week. The good news? I abide by the Monterey Bay Aquarium's guide to sustainable sushi:

The Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch Sushi Guide--A Consumer's Guide to Sustainable Sushi

Wild caught Alaskan salmon instead of maguro.

 

[wahlaoeh]

Many thanks guys.

I've written to AVA yesterday and got a reply from their incharge saying that they will look into this and inform me the outcome.

I saw on their website that mercury is tested on selected fish species here in Singapore and is within the health limits. They did not specified the weight or age of this fish species.
http://www.ava.gov.sg/NR/rdonlyres/5A163534-CCA6-4956-8D79-97688A0FF681/20648/AVAchapter1.pdf

Even so, I have requested AVA to request all restaurants serving the soup fins dish to put up a "warning" notice to caution the consumers about this "low" risk.

 

[xariatay]

Maybe I m a little crazy... But the depression might be good for the sharks - less likely that there will be less people who "rinse their mouths with shark's fin soup"?!

 

[LIVES4SHARKS]

Mercury Poisoning Fish List

Shark has been found to be high in Mercury due to the nature of the shark's diet. Other large fish are showing increasing levels, including tuna most commonly served in sushi. You will find shark used alot in this country in fish oil and joint repair supplements. I highly recommend staying away from fish oil products and use flax instead. Also, use products like glucosomine/chondroitin that uses bovine cartilage instead of fish/shark cartilage.

We all need to be dilligent in reading labels and demanding products that could be harmful be removed from public consumption.

From and article from the Shark Research Institue:

Tests reveal shark flesh contains 60 times the safe level for human consumption

[FONT=Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif][FONT=Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif]South Africa's Natal Sharks Board (NSB) is collaborating with the German NGO Sharkprojekt (Sharkproject - Wir kämpfen für Haie !) in an analysis of methyl mercury in flesh of sharks caught in their nets. Obviously, the bigger [sharks] are, the more methyl mercury they will have consumed," said Geremy Cliff of the NSB. "But age is also a factor. Some sharks, like the spiny dogfish, may be as old as 50 years, but grow to less than a metre in length." Wolf Snyckers of Sharkprojekt and co-ordinator of the project in South Africa said the Chinese are very interested in the experiments, given their taste for sharkfin soup. At a seafood safety and toxicology symposium in Chingdao in June 2006, Sharkprojekt presented the findings of two German scientists who developed a method of testing methyl mercury in shark products on European and Australian supermarket shelves. The scientists found that the shark products being sold had methyl mercury levels 60 times the 'safe' level for human consumption, and consumption could result in impotency and death. In China, shark products are promoted as a cure for impotency. "The sharks will have the last laugh yet, but the reality is without them, the ocean will die," says Andy Cobb, South African shark conservationist[/FONT][/FONT]


Carolyn:shark2:

 

[MontereyCADiver]

As an advocate for sustainable seafood, please accept my sincerest appreciation for your posts.

Through research, education and conservation we can make wiser choices for healthier oceans. By all accounts, healthy seafood selections do not include shark.

Seafood Watch Program - A Consumer's Guide to Sustainable Seafood | Monterey Bay Aquarium

Jeff

 

[carcharodon15]

larger predatory fish such as sharks, bilfish, and tuna, have higher levels of mercury because the are at the top of the food chain. Mercury, and other toxins, increase at every level of the food chain, making apex predators highly toxic.

Shark Attacks - And How to Avoid Them

 

[mobula]

Hi,
in Germany (and international) there is an organization called "sharkproject". Last year on the boat and dive show "Boot" we they said that they have results of studies about mercury in shark fins and they got the chance to present this on some kind of conference in China! They try to use this subject to improve there efforts for shark conservation. I don't know if they really where in China but the study was already in 2005 (Germany)

Methylmercury [en] - sharkproject.org - Wir kämpfen für die Haie

This Link is for the english version of the articel if want to learn more about it. It is detailed with citations, sources and more.

The best way to think about sharks:

http://www.sharkproject.org/Content.Node/downloads_tipps/Spot.wmv

 

[drbill]

My guess is that shark fin would actually contain less mercury than the body itself since they are largely cartilage. However, given high levels in the body tissues and oil/fat, levels in the fins could be substantially higher than acceptable levels (as earlier posts indicate).