Plastic Fishes

Check it out: 35% of fishes collected in the north Pacific Ocean had plastic in their stomachs, according to a group of Southern California researchers.  The Algalita Marine Research Foundation and the Southern California Coastal Water Research Project were looking at the effects of plastic litter floating in the ocean on marine life.

The researchers traveled 1,000 miles off the coast of California, in an area called the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, to collect lanternfishes, small deep sea dwellers that come to the surface after dark to dine on plankton.  Amid the floating bottles, plastic bags and nurdles (tapioca-size plastic pellets), lantern fish and other marine life swim and search for food.  Sometimes they find plankton, sometimes plastic.

The collected fish had, on average, ingested at least two pieces of plastic; however, researchers found as many as 83 pieces of plastic in one fish.  Concerns are that the plastics travel up the food chain and will eventually be ingested by humans.

Although plastics are broken down to a degree by crashing waves, scientists still do not know they ever fully dissolve.  The study was published in the scientific journal Marine Pollution Bulletin and the authors plan to share their findings Friday at the Plastics Are Forever International Youth Summit in Long Beach, where teenagers from the United States and 13 other countries are gathering to share ideas on how to combat plastic pollution.

Man!  How nasty.  First mercury and now plastic.  I know it might sound obvious but...I just don't understand littering.  I saw a man today discard his banana peel on a parking meter.  Biodegradable, I know, but I wanted to shove it down his throat and tell him to find a garbage can.  Banana peel today, plastic water bottle tomorrow--let it be somebody else's problem, right?  I know, nobody wants to admit to littering, but it's coming from somewhere.  Own up, and train yourself not to do it.  Otherwise, enjoy your plastic fishes, numb-nuts.

Pissy Fishes

Does poor health result from too little medication in the bloodstream? Think about this, as it's a philosophical question. You would think that this notion is the common wisdom by the way medications are consumed in this country, but our over-medicated culture is leading to some creepy consequences. Check out this tripper.

Scientists have found that fish caught near wastewater plants in five major U.S. cities contain residues of pharmaceuticals including cholesterol lowering drugs, antihistamines, high blood pressure medication, and antidepressants. This shouldn't be any surprise to my regular readers as I reported on this nasty little phenomenon last year.

And from where are the fish picking up these pharma-residues? Why from human urine, that's where. Gross, right? Americans consume so much medication that we are contaminating the oceans where we dump our wastes. And the organisms which habitate these ecosystems are bearing some of the brunt of our faulty (and foul) paradigm.

It is not lost on me that the drugs they found in fish mirror the drugs most commonly pushed on the American people. And if that isn't enough to make your stomach turn, the EPA reports that trace amounts of pharmaceuticals have been found in our drinking water too.

So what do you think? Is your health so dependent on pharmaceutical drugs that you keep a constant flow of meds passing through your bloodsrtream at all times? Somebody's is--just ask the fishes.

Beware Fake Sushi!

Question: you've caught a big salmon and you'd like to cut it up as sashimi. Upon cutting it open, you see that it is infested with worms. Can you still eat it? Does the answer seem obvious?

Eating raw fish is a delicacy, and preparing it is an art. Sushi chefs spend many years training in art of choosing the proper fish to be served raw. And as sushi restaurants have exploded in the U.S. and Europe, more an more untrained individuals are opening sushi restaurants. This can be a problem.

Not every fish is suitable to be eaten raw--many amateurs don't know this. Many forms of seafood can cause illness if not prepared properly. Take, for instance, baby crabs. "Fake" sushi restaurants often serve them raw. Bad idea. But deep fried baby crabs are suitable for consumption. And how about salmon? Salmon is prone to parasitic infection, therefore, it should never be eaten raw. Salmon should always be cooked, marinated, or frozen before being consumed.

Heh! Who knew? That's why sushi chefs get paid the big bucks. I've always had an inherent respect for sushi chefs, and I personally would never eat in a sushi restaurant that isn't run by a top-quality, highly-trained sushi chef. But it wasn't until I saw this great piece on 60 Minutes on the tuna trade that I really developed respect for people who make fish purchases and preparation their life's work--just fascinating.



Here's the bottom line: Do your research. Find sushi restaurants with properly trained artisans preparing the goods. Steer clear of fly-by-night operations attempting to capitalize on the popularity of this exotic delicacy. And never--and I mean never--prepare raw fish on your own, because "it must be easy to do." It isn't. If it were, would it take as long to master?

As far as the opening question is concerned: Yeah, you can eat it--throw away the infected parts and cook the rest.