Unhealthy Fish?

I'm sure that many people have heard about the great health benefits eating fish. However, recent studies have also shown medical problems with eating certain fishes and fishes from certain areas of the globe. With increasing understandings of overfishing, global warming, general pollution, stocking pollution, etc., additional concerns of sustainable harvesting and cooking methods need to be understood by more people.

Fish and other seafoods are increasingly being seen as a foodsource for the world's growing population. However, understanding where your food comes from is important. It is important because your fish may becoming endangered, contaminated, or unsustainably grown and harvested. I've recently seen a number of stories written by (who I feel are) credible sources about this topic.

• From Grist, Roz Cummings gives a story on how grilling certain fish may not be such a good idea.
  
• For all of you who are sushi aficionados, Peter Etnoyer reports on how contaminant levels in certain fishes help to make your sushi increasingly unsafe.
  
• Joseph from "Corpus Callosum" provides a link to a news article and his own reflections on increasing toxicity in Great Lakes fisheries.
• Jennifer Jaquet gives us three new disturbing stories on fish.
• The first story makes us wonder where the fish you eat actually comes from.
• The second story is forwarded from David Wilmot, and asks how sustainable the oceans fisheries are...
• The third story questions how good seafood is for you, health-wise and ecology-wise, and provides links to websites that can help you make decisions for buying seafood that is good for you and the environment.
• Josh Rosenau reminds us of the ecological differences between farmed and wild salmon.
• CR McClain provides the highlights of a report showing that fishermen have higher blood mercury levels than the average population.
• Jon Ryn from Grist provides a summary of a WSJ story on the serious declines in West African fisheries exacerbated by disenfranchising foreign subsidization of unsustainable practices.
  

I'm not saying that eating fish is not a good thing, but I am saying that everyone must look at the consequences of choosing what they eat. And in end, remember that eating local and lower on the food chain is better for the environment, and - quite often - better for your health.