Top 10
Reasons Not to Eat Salmon
1. Salmon Are Smart
Fish are smart. Oxford University scientist Dr. Theresa Burt de
Perera recently discovered that fish learn even faster than dogs.
Fish learn from each other, have long-term memories, and can
recognize one another. They gather information by eavesdropping,
and some species even use tools, which, until recently, was thought
to be a uniquely human trait. Like the dogs and cats with whom we
share our homes, they also like to play, investigate new things,
and hang out with friends.
2. Arsenic and Old Waste
Mmmm, want a plate full of poison? Fish have extremely high levels
of chemicals such as arsenic, mercury, PCBs, DDT, dioxins, and lead
in their flesh and fat. You may even get industrial-strength fire
retardant with that catch of the day. The chemical residue found in
salmon flesh can be as much as 9 million times that of the water in
which they live.
3. Harm at the Farm
Harm at the Farm Four-fifths of the United States most popular
fish flesh, salmon, consumed in the U.S. is farm-raised. These
fish, who are raised by the millions in cages made of nets in
coastal waters, are killing off wild fish populations as well,
since it takes 5 pounds of commercially caught fish (species not
eaten by humans) to produce 1 pound of farmed fish.
4. Sea Lice Arent So Nice
No one wants to wear a death crown, but thanks to chronic sea
lice, a parasite that eats down to the bones on a fishs face,
salmon commonly suffer this condition. Salmon also routinely go
insane and sustain sores and other injuries from intense crowding,
as they are made to live their entire lives with as many as 27 fish
in a space the size of a bathtub.
5. Slammin Salmon
No, were not talking about a baseball playerbut fish farmers do
often use bats to beat large salmon to death. All methods used to
slaughter fish are grotesque and cruel. Fish have their gills slit
while they are still alive, and smaller salmon are often packed in
ice and left to slowly suffocate or freeze to death.
6. Open Waters Are Open Sewers
Everybody loves the Big Apple, but would you eat something fished
out of the citys sewer system? According to the Norwegian
government, the salmon and trout farms in Norway alone produce
roughly the same amount of sewage as New York City. The massive
amount of raw sewage, dead fish corpses, and antibiotic-laden fish
food sludge settling below farmed salmon cages can actually cause
the ocean floor to rot, destroying vital habitat for the already
strained marine ecosystem and turning coastal waters into open
sewers.
7. Breeding Brain Damage
Usually when Moms pass things on to their children, its a good
thingbut when pregnant or nursing moms eat fish, they pass the
toxins they consume on to their babies. Studies have also shown
that children born to mothers who eat fish are slower to talk,
walk, and develop fine motor skills and have weaker memories and
shorter attention spans. Scientists at the Harvard School of Public
Health have found that fish consumption can cause irreversible
impairment to brain function in children, both in the womb and as
they grow.
8. Dont Forget About the PCBs
Feeling forgetful? There could be something fishy going on.
Scientists have proved that people who eat only two servings of
fish a month have difficulty recalling information that they
learned just 30 minutes earlier. The culprit is high levels of
mercury, lead, and PCBs in their blood. PCBs, synthetic chemicals
polluting water and concentrated in fish flesh, act like hormones,
wreaking havoc on the nervous system and contributing to a variety
of illnesses beyond forgetfulness and vertigo, including cancer,
infertility, and other sexual problems.
9. For Your Health
Would you like tartar sauce with those cancer-causing toxins? If
youre feeling green around the gills, salmon could be making you
seriously ill. The Environmental Working Group estimates that
800,000 people in the U.S. face an excess lifetime cancer risk from
eating farmed salmon. Plus, salmon flesh contains high amounts of
artery-clogging cholesterol and fat.
10. Faux Fish
Fake it for salmons sake! Tempt your taste buds without tempting
fate by trying faux fish. Your local Asian food mart or health food
store is packed with vegetarian mock seafood productsincluding
salmon fillets. Also, try Worthingtons Tuno for a great-tasting
fake that has all the flavor of the real thing without the
contaminants or cholesterol.
From: http://www.fishinghurts.com
