As a nutritionist and consumer reporter specializing in natural health matters, I find myself in a slippery situation with regard to recommending the consumption of fish. There is absolutely no doubt that eating "clean" fish — particularly those species that are high in the health promoting omega-3 essential fats — gives us a huge nutritional boost. By "clean" I mean fish that are free of mercury and other contaminants as well as drugs such as antibiotics, all of which can make eating fish more of a health detriment than benefit. This is particularly true for small children and pregnant or nursing women who can endanger their fetuses and infants by eating contaminated fish. Regrettably, from my investigation, it appears that consistently obtaining "clean" fish is a feat that even the most health-conscious consumers will find a challenge.
In interviewing scientists and researchers who have special knowledge of fish and their environs, it’s clear that there is very little in the way of assurances for getting fish that are free of drugs and contaminants whether they are farm-raised or wild-caught, that is, procured by commercial fishermen. The National Organic Program, which was put into place by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), does not include standards for finfish or shellfish. The USDA has begun a preliminary inquiry into setting standards for what it calls "aquatic animals," but one agency researcher assigned to this task suggests it could be a matter of years (if ever!) before such a nationwide organic standard is implemented. There are at least a couple of small independent U.S. groups that offer organic certification for wild-caught seafood, but very few fish companies have received such certification. Some other countries also offer organic certification.
Meanwhile, we are seeing a seafood craze in the United States. I’d expect a lot of that has to do with the hype over the nutritional benefits of fish. The omega-3 fats, abundant in cold-water fish such as salmon and halibut and other northern marine animals, confer a number of health benefits, including supporting heart health, protecting against cancer, and boosting the intelligence and vision of young developing brains whether in utero or in childhood. Moreover, fish, in general, is of superior nutritional value constituting an excellent source of protein.
While the emphasis on eating fish has been heightened, so has the production...particularly farm fishing or aquaculture. Measured by weight and value, global production of aquaculture more than doubled during the 1990s. But very little of it, according to veterinarian Michael W. Fox, who’s the senior scholar for bioethics at the Humane Society of the United States, could be considered a healthy choice. He points out that the pools in which farm fish are contained are so crowded that various antibiotics and other drugs are used in high concentrations to control bacterial, fungal, and other diseases that afflict the stocks. "They’re going to have more and more health problems so [the fish farmers are] going to have to be using more and more drugs in order to produce the kind of volume that will turn a profit. It’s at the state now, where I believe — because of the high amount of drugs used — it’s essentially a chemical cocktail. If [the fish] are not organically certified you are consuming these animals at your own risk."
The concern with antibiotics has been publicized but many may not relate it to the fish they eat. David Wallinga, M.D., senior scientist at the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy, a specialist in environment health policies, blames a weak regulatory structure and inspection program for unchecked use of antibiotics on fish farms. "By using antibiotics pretty indiscriminately as some fish farms may, we’re creating conditions where we foster increased numbers of bacteria that are resistant to treatment with antibiotics. [This is] contributing to increasing numbers of people getting resistant infections that are hard to treat with antibiotics."
Dr. Wallinga is also studying the impact of contaminants such as mercury that are "bio-accumulative," meaning these toxins become more concentrated as they are moved up the food chain. For instance, contaminants on the water’s bottom are eaten by small fish that are, in turn, eaten by larger fish and so on until the final product — with its accumulated contaminants — lands on our plate. Farmed fish can ingest the same levels of mercury, PCBs, dioxin, and other contaminants as wild-caught fish. "The reason that one might think that fish farms would...get you away from that is because they’re raising the fish on some kind of feed. But...some of these feeds...may be made up of other fish. So essentially you’re creating an artificial food chain where you’re feeding fish ground up parts of other fish that are bio-accumulating these contaminants even in a fish farm environment."
In fact, Dr. Fox estimates that about 60 percent of the catch of wild fish is now being used for feed by the aquaculture industry worldwide. He says it takes three pounds of wild fish to produce one pound of farm salmon and hence this growth in fish farms is contributing to the depletion of ocean fisheries.
Eating wild-caught fish can also present the same problem with toxic metals. Dr. Wallinga cites coal-burning as a major culprit in producing mercury and other contaminant by-products that drift into our water sources and mingle with the food fish eat. And in a cruel twist, mercury tends to accumulate in the muscle of the fish so that you can’t trim it off the way you could if it were in the fat. This is why it is so imperative that pregnant and nursing women be discriminating about the fish they eat so as not to risk harming the brain development of their children (for specifics read "Brain Food," the Environmental Working Group’s paper on this subject at www.ewg.org/pub/home/reports/brainfood/pr.html.
With regard to wild-caught fish, it’s important to note that northern Alaska with its clean, deep waters, offers excellent quality wild-caught fish — particularly salmon, which is arguably the finest in the world. There are at least two organically certified processors of wild-caught salmon that accept orders: Prime Select Seafoods (888-870-7292) and Capilano Pacific (360-398-9453). Although more expensive than farm- raised, organic products make it possible for consumers to support, with their dollars, smaller, ecologically sound companies. If nature-friendly producers cannot survive financially, then we are left to the economic whims of industrial fish farms and large multinational corporations.
So what else can a conscientious consumer do (besides quit eating fish)? Aside from searching out organically certified seafood products, Drs. Wallinga and Fox both recommend eating "lower on the food chain" which means eating fish that don’t eat other fish so that you aren’t getting the bio-accumulation of toxic contaminants. Largely herbivorous or "vegetarian" fish include tilapia, catfish, trout, and some salmon such as red and sockeye. Wild-caught fish would probably be preferable because many herbivorous farm fish are being fed the food mentioned earlier that contain ground up wild fish.
You can fortify yourself with nutritional supplementation to guard against the ravages of toxic metals present in our food supply. Mary James, M.D., an expert in nutritional supplementation in her position as medical science physician at Great Smokies Diagnostic Laboratory in Asheville, North Carolina, suggests 100 to 200 micrograms (not milligrams!) of selenium per day. This mineral essentially holds onto the mercury, thereby preventing it from attaching to cells in the body and causing damage. It’s then excreted primarily via the bile and the stool. Dr. James says selenomethionine is a particularly effective form of selenium.
Additionally, she says, buffered vitamin C — about 1,000 to 3,000 milligrams (one to three grams) daily — will help move mercury and other toxic metals out through the bile. Also, foods rich in sulfur — such as garlic and onions — would be helpful in that mercury gravitates to the sulfur-bearing compounds and then is excreted. Dr. James also recommends vitamin E (400-800 IUs per day) in the form of mixed tocopherols, which will function as an antioxidant and be helpful in reducing the effects of mercury toxicity in the body.
Finally, make restaurant and grocery store managers aware that you prefer organically certified seafood whether it’s from the farm or wild-caught. Ask them questions about the sources of their seafood such as: Where did the seafood come from? Is the farm fish from an environmentally sustainable source? If they don’t know, you may provide the impetus for them to find out. Imagine if we all contributed to this effort!
Interested in products of free-range animals? Dr. Wallinga’s group, the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy, offers a "Consumer Guide for Meat Raised without Antibiotics" at www.IATP.org.
Disclaimer: This column is for information only and no part of its contents should be construed as medical advice, diagnosis, recommendation or endorsement by Ms. Ephraim.
Rebecca Ephraim is a registered dietitian, certified clinical nutritionist and a nutrition reporter specializing in integrative medicine issues.
© Rebecca Ephraim. All rights reserved.