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johnny0313x's avatar

A very fishy question...Tuna types and mercury?

Asked by johnny0313x (1860points) March 13th, 2010

I have alot of questions about Tuna, I know some people don’t like it but lately I can’ t get enough. I know this sounds like a joke but I could literally eat it a few times a day. I am sure it is just a phase and I will get sick of it eventually.

I read that Tuna has a lot of mercury in it though, is there a safe level of what I can and cannot eat?

What is the difference between albacore and all the other stuff. I don’t like eating it in oil, only water.

What does to much mercury do to you?

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11 Answers

davidbetterman's avatar

There are several varieties of tuna, @johnny0313x.

. Atlantic Bluefin Tuna (Thunnus thynnus), Southern Bluefin (Thunnus maccoyii), Albacore Tuna/Longfin Tuna (Thunnus alalunga), Yellowfin Tuna (Thunnus albacares) {Chunk Light Tuna!}, Bigeye Tuna (Thunnus obesus), Skipjack Tuna/Bonito(Katsuwonus pelamis) and Little Tunny (Euthynnus alletteratus).

As for Mercury, this site claims it is a bunch of hooey.

LuckyGuy's avatar

@davidbetterman The site you quote has a very interesting and checkered origin.
See -> Center for Consumer Freedom It is like a right wing consumer society run by lobbyists.

stranger_in_a_strange_land's avatar

In developed countries, tuna is tested for mercury before being marketed. My concern about tuna is that of over-fishing rather than mercury levels. As tuna is at the top of the food chain in the ocean, they tend to concentrate whatever is eaten by fish lower on the food chain.

janbb's avatar

This was discussed at length in yesterday’s tuna question. Use the search box at the top to find the question or just scroll back until you find it. There are many good points raised in it.

jaytkay's avatar

@janbb
A link would be helpful. I understand guiding people to the search. “Teach a man to fish [for tuna!]...”, But the search is pretty awful, because the links aren’t sorted by date. Tuna gives you over 20 pages of results. I was in that thread and I can’t find it.

janbb's avatar

Here it is. I was on the way out the door before so I didn’t take the time to find it but your metaphor (“teach a man to fish”) is an apt one.

JeanPaulSartre's avatar

Due to the way it’s fished I’d stop completely. You’re probably just craving the fish oil – maybe try just adding fish oil to other foods and see if that helps – 0 mercury and most of the benefits.

thriftymaid's avatar

Generally, the larger the fish, the more mercury. That is why albacore has more mercury than the dark tuna.

SeventhSense's avatar

The new fish coming from the Gulf should be chock full of oil.

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