HeraldNet: Safe Harbor seafood tested for mercury



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Eco Geek

May 2, 2008

The Herald / Jason Fritz (click to enlarge)

Safe Harbor seafood tested for mercury

Posted at 2:38 pm by Sarah Jackson

We know fish is good for us, right?

It’s one of the best proteins around if you’re a meat eater.

Fears about mercury, however, often detract from the glory of seafood.

Today, however, I have what I think is some pretty good news: Top Food & Drug and Haggen Food & Pharmacy stores have become the first supermarkets in the Northwest to offer Safe Harbor Certified Seafood.

Micro Analytical Systems Inc. of San Rafael, Calif., founded in 2002, offers its Safe Harbor Certified Seafood seal of approval only to fish that meets standards stricter than those set by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Until Haggen and Top’s 33 stores in Washington and Oregon were added to the Safe Harbor program, MASI's program was pretty much limited to a handful of California grocers.

Safe Harbor Certified Seafood isn’t necessarily mercury free, but it is, according to MASI, certified to be consistently among the lowest in mercury around.

Not bad.

Read more about seafood and mercury from the EPA here or from the FDA here.

Finally, for a totally awesome guide on how to buy environmentally friendly seafood, check out the handy pocket guide from the Monterey Bay Aquarium's Seafood Watch program here.

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Marine Stewardship Council
Here's a thoughtful response sent directly to the Eco Geek from John Barnes of Olympia, who likes to fish in Kenai, Alaska, where he's encountered the AQS (Alaska Quality Seafood) program, which is monitored and regulated by the MSC (Marine Stewardship Council).

Hello: I was doing some research about the safe harbor certification program, checking mercury levels are great, but I'm almost positive they do nothing to promote or demand that the fish that is being certified under their program do not come from sustainable fisheries. Most mercury levels are common sense tuna is high in mercury and salmon is low. What happens if we over fish the world fisheries, we will be experiencing the same thing we are in Washington state. I want you to be aware of another certification process that is being used by Alaska quality seafood called the Marine Stewardship council. This is a globally recognized council to preserve the quality of the fish as well as the sustainability of the resource, this is key to making sure we have healthy salmon and seafood for generations to come. -- John Barnes
Sarah Jackson | May 21, 2008 11:40 am | 0 replies | View all | Post reply | Request removal

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