[Coral-List] Methyl Mercury in Commercial Important Coral Reef Fishes

Tue Feb 25 09:42:28 EST 2014

And, as we speak, U.S. and Canadian coal producers are planning
transportation expansions in order to ship coal to developing countries once
the North American market dries up.

Quenton Dokken, Ph.D.
President/CEO
Gulf of Mexico Foundation
PMB 252, 4833 Saratoga Blvd.
Corpus Christi, Texas 78413
361-882-3939 office
361-442-6064 mobile
qdokken at gulfmex.org
www.gulfmex.org

-----Original Message-----
From: coral-list-bounces at coral.aoml.noaa.gov
[mailto:coral-list-bounces at coral.aoml.noaa.gov] On Behalf Of Douglas Fenner
Sent: Monday, February 24, 2014 1:37 PM
To: Arrecifes de coral
Cc: coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov
Subject: Re: [Coral-List] Methyl Mercury in Commercial Important Coral Reef
Fishes

    Some people are aware that canned tuna also contains mercury.  The US
Environmental Protection Agency provides guidelines on how much canned tuna
can safely be eaten per week (
http://www.nrdc.org/health/effects/mercury/tuna.asp).  There was an effort
to get the tuna industry or the grocery stores in the states to post notices
that people should limit their consumption, but they didn't do it.
     I used to be puzzled about how mercury got into the oceans, far from
land, and then went up the food chain getting concentrated in top predators
like tuna.  Then I read that much or most of it comes from the smoke emitted
by coal-fired electric generating plants.  It goes up in the air, is carried
by the air out over the oceans, and eventually rain picks it out of the air
and takes it down into the oceans, where it enters the food chain.  Most
likely, that means that large amounts of it are being emitted by coal
burning plants in China and India, and entering the huge brown clouds of
polluted air those countries produce, which are then carried by winds out
over the oceans near them.  Those brown clouds may be more toxic than the
African dust clouds the Caribbean gets (?).
     So burning coal pollutes the air near the plants (such as around
Bejing) which damages people's health, it also puts mercury into the oceans
and into our food supply which poisons people, and it adds lots of CO2 to
the atmosphere, which traps heat, and adds to the temperatures during ENSO
(El Nino Southern Oscillation) events which cause bleaching and kill corals.
Many other countries burn lots of coal as well, including the US.
     Coal is cheap, which is why developing countries like the US and UK
used it during their development in the 1800's and China and India are using
it now.  At one point the "London fog" produced by burning coal killed
thousands of people in London, US cities were blackened with soot, and so
on.  I read news stories that China realizes it must start generating
electricity in other ways as fast as it can, they are well aware of this
problem.  Let us hope it happens quickly.  The US still emits lots of
pollution from coal fired plants.  A typical plant emits 170 pounds of
mercury a year, 10,000 tons of sulfur dioxide (principle cause of acid
rain) 114 pounds of lead, 720 tons of carbon monoxide, and 225 pounds of
arsenic, among other things.  All highly toxic.  Coal still is used to
produce half of the electricity the US uses.  It is the dirtiest of all
fuels.  A new port proposed in Australia will export huge quantities of coal
to India where it will be burned to make electricity and pollute the air,
and the dredging of the port in Australia needed to export the coal will
produce dredge spoils that will be disposed of in the Great Barrier Reef
Marine Park (though not directly on the reefs).  In 1993, the US produced
about $19 billion (with a "B") of coal a year, employing 100,000 miners.  It
is big business.  Dirty business, that kills people.  There are cleaner
alternatives.
    Cheers,  Doug

Union of Concerned Scientists:
"*Mercury:* Coal plants are responsible for more than half of the U.S.
human-caused emissions of mercury, a toxic heavy metal that causes brain
damage and heart problems. Just 1/70th of a teaspoon of mercury deposited on
a 25-acre lake can make the fish unsafe to eat. A typical uncontrolled coal
plants emits approximately 170 pounds of mercury each year. Activated carbon
injection technology can reduce mercury emissions by up to 90 percent when
combined with baghouses. ACI technology is currently found on just 8 percent
of the U.S. coal fleet."
http://www.ucsusa.org/clean_energy/coalvswind/c02c.html

"according to a 2004 report, U.S. power plant pollution contributes to
nearly 24,000 premature deaths each year"
http://www.ucsusa.org/assets/documents/clean_energy/wpne-choices.pdf

On Fri, Feb 21, 2014 at 10:53 AM, Arrecifes de coral <
corales2006 at hotmail.com> wrote:

> Dear Colleagues,
>
>
>
> Regarding the question about the relevance of fishing lionfishes in 
> the Caribbean, to diminish the fishing pressure on the native species, 
> the Foundation ICRI Colombia in Pro of Coral Reefs is considering open 
> a national market for lionfish consumption. However, prior to do that 
> We consider also the risk to human health of bioaccumulation on coral 
> reef predators due to pollution from human activities. Therefore, our 
> Foundation is advising the Colombian Government within our programs of 
> CO-Management and "Publications for Public Actions" that one of the 
> criteria for defining the maximum sizes to catch coral reef fishes of 
> commercial importance, should be the concentrations of Methyl Mercury 
> in the dorsal muscle of the catches as the indicator for allowing the 
> establishment of legal catches of coral reef fishes of commercial 
> importance with concentrations being less than the regulatory 
> threshold for limited human consumption established by the World 
> Health Organization, to avoid risk to human health.
>
>
>
> According to the publication of Huge et al.
> 2014, in Marine Pollution
> www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0025326X13007200?np=y, the 
> concentrations of Methyl Mercury in the muscle of the lionfishes from 
> Florida are still under the maximum level allowed by WHO. However, 
> this study is an alert to the Methyl Mercury bioaccumulation in big 
> fishes in coral reef areas.
> Since, the measurement in Lionfishes resulted to be lower than the 
> levels found in other native commercial species that are being catched 
> intensively for consumption.  The problem of bioaccumulation links the 
> two major threatens to coral reefs the pollution and overfishing.
>
>
>
> We learnt from a literature search that the FDA-EPA of the United 
> States and the Florida Department of Health define personal dosages in 
> case that bio accumulation of any kind of pollutants be found in 
> fishes for consumption. Then we have add in our webpages for general 
> preventive information following the precautionary official advise for 
> countries without enough information that we should respect the 
> maximum dosage according to our body weight: a NRDC Mercury Calculator 
> http://www.nrdc.org/health/effects/mercury/calculator/calc.asp  and a 
> chart
>
> https://scontent-b-lga.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/l/t1/1545777_64906000
> 8463398_1861681058_n.jpg
> .
> Therefore, We welcome your comments for us about a potential 
> environmental campaign that may be focused in that each Colombian 
> should eat healthy fishes free of pollutants like lionfishes at a 
> dosage of 100 grams per person per week. Meanwhile, We wait for the 
> official communication requested to the Colombian Government based on 
> their researchers of the National Institute of Health..
> We
> have encouraged academic debates with scientists from different 
> Universities and NGOs so all get in their research agenda the interest 
> for scientific measurements of Methyl Mercury and other pollutants in 
> the lionfishes.
>
>
>
> It is relevant to hear the experiences and measurements from other 
> countries where there is lionfish consumption; we know that in Jamaica 
> the Methyl Mercury in Lionfish was still safe that means lower than 
> the maximum allowed by WHO. The Foundation ICRI Colombia is ad portas 
> to open a massive market for the delicious invader lionfish which may 
> represent an alternative for food security and better life quality for 
> fishermen, and an environmental economic control to the invasive 
> species. Thus, we are requesting the Colombian Government INVIMA and 
> MADS to take into account this indicator of Bioaccumulation to 
> establish the maximum size for lionfish consumption in case that is 
> found Methyl Mercury in the muscle of lionfishes.
> Cordial saludo, Nohora Galvis Directora EjecutivaFundación ICRI 
> Colombia en Pro de los Arrecifes 
> Coralinoshttp://icri-colombia.es.tl/--Follow us 
> https://twitter.com/ArrecifesCoral  y 
> http://icri-colombia.blogspot.com/Like us 
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> alinos-de-Colombia/317788734923862"Antes
> de imprimir reflexiona si es necesario...
> PROTEGE AL AMBIENTE"
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--
Douglas Fenner
Contractor with Ocean Associates, Inc.
PO Box 7390
Pago Pago, American Samoa 96799  USA

phone 1 684 622-7084
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