Fish and relative levels of contamination

I live in the Pacific Northwest, and after lots of vague responses from Google, I am wondering: which fish are safe to eat? Are any safe at all? Does anyone have any hard data for fish on the west coast, and which ones migrate to Japan?

The megathread is full of awesomely horrifying numbers about fish tests... off the coast of Fukushima. Yep. That's a no-brainer. Nobody should do any fishing there for the next 200,000 years.

However, what about the west coast? ARE there breeds of fish that do not migrate to Japan? Which ones swim that way? Do salmon? Would a California halibut have the same readings as a Pacific halibut buried in the sand off the coasts of Fukushima? I can't seem to find much information and it's frustrating.

I'm specifically interested in informational links, fish facts, and numbers, so anyone else who reads this any myself can make informed-as-possible decisions about what to eat. I know as radiation continues to spread, things are becoming more dismal...

Until I get my fishing license and can get some lake trout...

Thanks a lot!

reply to post by manicminxx


Good luck finding anything out on contamination levels. The Harper government let all the scientists go, so we can't find anything out. Right after the catastrophe, I searched for mortality rates in the coastal areas and they were up by 31%. Then they disappeared from the Net and were revised downward to 2009. They were highest in Alaska though. I've stopped eating fish, what with the Gulf crisis and Japan, unless it's a young fish from a lake (young don't have as much accumulated toxins in their system) I won't eat it. Good luck in your search though.

Would buying my own geiger be worth it? Can you test food reliably enough, as in, either, "no detectable risk" or "DROP THAT @#$(* NOW!" ?

I think we all have to accept the oceans have been contaminated for a very long time,the catastrophie in Japan is bad yes but doesn't change that fact,ya sure it adds to it..
nuclear waste/testing/disasters have been contaminating the oceans ever since there creation,there is no hiding from it,as long as you breath,drink water/milk eat fish/poultry and enjoy the sun you are being exposed..
Best advice i can give is moderation,go ahead and eat fish but like tuna don't consume more than two portions/wk
and keep your immune system strong,we are always exposed to low levels of Radation,i wouldn't worry too much ,you risk more crossing the street

I just have to be on top of taking bentonite clay...

The other thing that makes me wonder is all the studies in populations heavily affected by radiation that found inclusion of certain foods (apples after Chernobyl, miso and seaweed after Hiroshima) hugely offset the negative effects of radiation. The people who fared well by including these protective items were also still exposed to background, and no doubt, eating some contaminated food.

Or at least my denial would like to infer?

Without derailing the thread into a huge debate about lifestyle/diet, I recently began experimenting with fish after not eating any for YEARS. It's like medicine to me right now. I just want to hedge my bets and find the safest fish to eat.

reply to post by manicminxx

well there is no safe fish,unless your talking about another planet,even in lakes fish contain med-high levels of mercury,and dioxins
but ya diet plays a huge roll in our resistance to radiation AND our exposure
again moderation

Originally posted by manicminxx
Would buying my own geiger be worth it? Can you test food reliably enough, as in, either, "no detectable risk" or "DROP THAT @#$(* NOW!" ?

It depends on the decay method of the isotope contaminating the food. If it decays by gamma ray emission than yes your geiger counter will pick it up. Beta particles are harder to detect but some higher end counters can detect it. But alpha decay is really hard to detect and is most of the time found by isotopic analysis of the parent isotope and not by the detection of the alpha particle its self.

It is very tasty.you can also taste it.