Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/611961
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 6 DECEMBER 2015 13 MARTINA BORG FISHLOVERS, get your diets sorted: elevated levels of mercury in Maltese waters should be a warning sign to cali- brate your piscatorial intake. It's not really news that mercury is found in fish, but a recently published assessment by the Malta Environment and Planning Authority (MEPA) revealed that the amount of potentially harmful mercury in Malta's coastal waters has exceeded the levels laid down in the EU's Environmental Quality Standards Directive. The report, based on samples tak- en by different monitoring stations at nine coastal bodies during 2015, registered a "poor chemical status" for mercury in all areas. But amateur fisherman and medi- cal doctor Stanley Farrugia Randon says consumers should adopt a precautionary approach by eating certain fish in moderation, espe- cially when it comes to children and pregnant women. "We already recommend that fish like swordfish and Bluefin tuna are avoided when possible due to the fact that these fish are not envi- ronmentally sustainable," Farrugia Randon, a member of Fish For Tomor- row conserva- tionists says. "The fact that they are top preda- tors means that they have ingested a lot more pollut- ants from further down the food chain and are therefore more likely to contain high lev- els of methylmer- cury," Farrugia Randon said, adding that the same can be said for shark species which Maltese people gen- erally eat, like dogfish (mazzola) or "white fish". Farrugia Randon said that the fish that Fish For Tomorrow recom- mends as sustainable through their "Quickfish" guide are generally further down the food chain, like bogue (vopa) and mackerel (kav- all). "This means that they contain a much lower concentration of pol- lutants like methylmercury and are also higher in Omega 3," he said, adding that this means that eat- ing sustainably also means eating healthier. The presence of mercury in fish is worrying because of the health im- plications of having mercury build up in the body which, in turn, the body cannot eliminate," Farrugia Randon said. "A high concentration of mercury in the body can lead to mercury poisoning which can affect the nervous system and the brain among others," Farrugia Randon said, adding that mercury is generally found in fish as methylmercury, which is highly toxic at high levels. "Exposure to methylmercury can impair children's neurological development and can adversely ef- fect an unborn child's development of their brain and nervous system," Farrugia Randon added. How does mercury end up in the sea? Studies show that about half of all mercury released into the at- mosphere today comes from the burning of fossil fuels like coal, oil and natural gas, with contri- butions from waste incineration, mining and other industrial ac- tivities. This mercury pollution falls di- rectly into the ocean and other water bodies or onto land, where it can be washed into waterways, but in this form, mercury poses lit- tle danger because living things can get rid of it quickly. The problem lies in the fact that bacteria convert mercury as it's carried down from the ocean sur- face, turning it into the highly-toxic methylmercury, which is then ab- sorbed by the food chain. Phytoplankton absorb the sub- stance, and they are in turn gobbled up by zooplankton, which are then feasted upon by small fish and on- wards and upwards as the amount of the toxin grows in ever-accumu- lating quantities. As a result, the largest preda- tory fish in the sea, like sharks and swordfish, can have mercury con- centrations in their muscles – the meat of the fish – that are millions of times higher than those of their surrounding habitat, studies show. News News -\SS*VSV\Y=LYZPVU C: M: Y: K: 0 0 0 100 C: M: Y: K: 0 100 100 0 C: M: Y: K: 50 100 100 20 TUNA AQUAMED MFF Ltd. - Hangar, Triq it-Trunciera, Marsaxlokk MXK1522 T: 2247 5000 E: contact@ebcon.com.mt www.mff.com.mt Farmed in Maltese offshore waters and delivered to you with special attention to freshness and to the highest standards. LOOK FOR OUR QUALITY MARK IN YOUR SUPERMARKET, FISHMONGER OR RESTAURANT FOR A HEALTHY LIFESTYLE. EAT FRESH EAT HEALTHY ENJOY OUR SEA BREAM Higher mercury in Maltese waters means fish-lovers must choose well RECOMMENDED AVOID body cannot eliminate," Farrugia Farrugia Randon said, adding that mercury is generally found in fish as methylmercury, which is highly "Exposure to methylmercury can impair children's neurological development and can adversely ef- fect an unborn child's development of their brain and nervous system," Mackeral and Bogue Tuna and Swordfish Stanley Farrugia Randon