Category Archives: Mercury

Eating What’s Served Instead of What’s Desired: Mostly Good Advice

Posted on 13 August 2015 by Ret Talbot

When it comes to consuming seafood, the push toward eating what it is locally abundant seems a no-brainer. In terms of sustainability, local seafood has a smaller carbon footprint than imported seafood, and abundant and underutilized species (aka “trash fish”) … Continue reading →

Posted in Fishery Management Plans (FMP), Human Health, Mercury, Northeast Fisheries, Overfishing | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Test Results Refute Mercury Scare In Frozen Fish Food

Posted on 30 April 2015 by Ret Talbot

Two weeks ago, Thomas Brown of Thomas Vision Reef reported unconfirmed test resultsshowing that “one of the top three frozen fish foods” had dangerously high concentrations of mercury in it. According to Brown, “estimated mercury levels exceeded 20 mg per … Continue reading →

Posted in Aquaculture, Mercury, Ornamental Fisheries | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Mercury Megadose? No Proof in Sight

Posted on 23 April 2015 by Ret Talbot

While I couldn’t make the test results or the University that did the testing public I did share the results and the University with Ret Talbot. Who wrote an article with is take this situation and the data behind it [sic]. … Continue reading →

Posted in Mercury, Ornamental Fisheries | Leave a comment

“Buy the Change” – Seafood Consumption Advice for 2015 from Maryn McKenna

Posted on 17 January 2015 by Ret Talbot

  Maryn McKenna of National Geographic’s “The Plate” served up her New Year’s resolutions in a 2 January blog post titled “Buy the Change You Want to See in the World.” Generally speaking, I agree whole-heartedly with McKenna that taking action on … Continue reading →

Posted in Aquaculture, Chef's Collaborative, Human Health, Maine Fisheries, Massachusetts, Mercury, Northeast Fisheries, Overfishing, South America | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Why Giving away Dogfish at the Food Pantry May be a Bad Idea

Posted on 8 December 2014 by Ret Talbot

If you visited the Falmouth Service Center’s food pantry last week, you may have been offered a fillet of spiny dogfish (Squalus acanthias). Brenda Swain, the service center’s director, says they have “been working really hard on nutrition,” and she’s thrilled … Continue reading →

Posted in Ecolabels, Global Climate Change, Groundfishing, Gulf of Maine Research Institute (GMRI), Human Health, Maine Fisheries, Massachusetts, Mercury, Northeast Fisheries, Overfishing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Local Food – Risks and Benefits

Posted on 31 October 2014 by Ret Talbot

I eat local more often than not, especially since I moved to Maine. Maine is on the front lines of the local food movement, earning the number two slot on the 2014 Locavore Index behind Vermont. Being a so-called locavore is not without … Continue reading →

Posted in Global Climate Change, Human Health, Maine Fisheries, Mercury, Northeast Fisheries, Overfishing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Adventures in Dogfish – Chefs Who Love the Dog Part I

Posted on 31 July 2014 by Ret Talbot

At the beginning of this month, I asked the question “Can Dogfish Actually Be Considered a Good Choice?” in a blog entry about some of the follow-up to my recent dogfish story in Discover Magazine. A few days ago, I … Continue reading →

Posted in Gulf of Maine Research Institute (GMRI), Human Health, Maine Fisheries, Mercury, Northeast Fisheries | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

The Trouble with Trash Fish – Building Markets

Posted on 19 July 2014 by Ret Talbot

“We have an idea what we might get, but we won’t know for sure until the day of the event,” said chef Stephen Phelps in an article published Wednesday in the Herald-Tribune. He was talking about the fish that will be … Continue reading →

Posted in Chef's Collaborative, Forida, Groundfishing, Gulf of Maine Research Institute (GMRI), Human Health, Invasive Species, Mercury, Overfishing, Southeast Fisheries | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Michelle Obama is NOT Feeding Mercury-Laden Fish to Maine Students

Posted on 1 July 2014 by Ret Talbot

While I almost always appreciate media outlets and individuals sharing my work, it is sometimes frustrating when a data-driven piece of mine is co-opted to serve someone else’s agenda–especially when the data does not support said agenda. This Really Isn’t about Michelle … Continue reading →

Posted in Chef's Collaborative, Groundfishing, Gulf of Maine Research Institute (GMRI), Human Health, Maine Fisheries, Mercury, Northeast Fisheries | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Environmental Group Says Lobster is “Poor Choice” for Pregnant Women

Posted on 25 June 2014 by Ret Talbot

Later this summer, the Environmental Working Group (EWG) plans to raise concerns about mercury levels in lobster within the context of a draft update to federal consumer guidelines for seafood consumption. The draft update to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and … Continue reading →

Posted in Human Health, Lobster Fishery, Maine Fisheries, Mercury, Northeast Fisheries | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment