So Long And Thanks For All The (PCB-Laden, Mercury-Soaked) Fish

This is weird. The Washington State Department of Health released the results of a study yesterday that indicates that it's not a good idea to eat too much of certain kinds of salmon from Puget Sound. Chinook are mentioned specifically in the report as being high in PCBs and mercury.

Consumers should limit Chinook salmon to one meal per week and resident Chinook (blackmouth) to two meals per month. Consumption advice for flatfish (e.g. English sole, flounder, and sanddab) and rockfish is organized by Fish and Wildlife's recreational marine areas with more specific advice provided for some urban areas.

Two meals per month? Ok, we don't actually eat as much salmon as we front to out-of-town guests (every day, every meal; why we're so smart), but we might actually eat salmon more than twice a month. We know someone who actually does eat as much salmon as advertised, though (every day, every meal): orcas. No wonder they're dropping like flies lately. All they ever eat is something that a government agency thinks might be too harmful to eat twice a month. How do you tell a whale, "Uh, about that food you evolved to eat exclusively... Don't eat it more than twice a month. PCBs, sorry about that. Go easy on the flounder too. And, uh, thanks for being a regional icon for all those years. This isn't good-bye, but..."

Anyway, so much for "metronatural."

Image courtesy of flickred.