State cites high mercury levels in some Alaska fish

ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- Samples taken from five types of Alaska fish contain too much mercury for unlimited eating, Alaska health officials said.

The fish -- halibut over 50 pounds, shark, lingcod, yellow eye rockfish and spiny dogfish -- are safe to eat in normal helpings for most people. But they might not be OK in large quantities for pregnant women and small children, according to officials.

"Our largest, most important recommendation is, we want people to eat fish because fish is really good for you," said Lori Verbrugge, a toxicologist with the state Department of Health and Social Services.

All salmon varieties tested low for mercury.

"Don't shy away from all halibut either," Verbrugge said. "The real concern with halibut is a person who catches one large halibut that happens to contain a lot of mercury, and they're eating off it all year."

The state plans to revise its guidelines on how much of the higher-mercury fish people should eat, Verbrugge said. First, the data will be sent to groups of subsistence users, charter fishing operators and others for review.

The state health department has previously said that people could safely eat an unrestricted amount of fish caught in Alaska waters. At the same time, the federal government said women of childbearing age and young children should eat only two meals of fish low in mercury per week to limit exposure.

Studies have shown that mercury can affect children's brain development and lead to minor learning difficulties or a slight drop in IQ, Verbrugge said.

Over the past two years, the state has updated and expanded its testing of about two dozen fish varieties, according to Bob Gerlach, a veterinarian with the state Department of Environmental Conservation, who runs the fish monitoring project.

About 2,800 samples have been sent in by study participants ranging from fish biologists to subsistence fishermen. The tests are continuing, Gerlach said.

Older fish and top predator fish, which eat smaller fish, tend to have higher levels of mercury, he said.

Mercury concentrations of less than one part per million are considered to have no effect on people.

The highest maximum levels were found in lingcod and shark. Lingcod, which can live to age 25, contained an average of .5 parts per million of mercury and a maximum of 1.4 parts per million. Nine sharks tested had levels ranging from .8 to 1.6 parts per million.