WELCOME TO BILL'S CORNER!August 2004 | (archive)Dear Constituents: This month, the U.S. Departments of Health and Human Services and Agriculture released the draft 2005 dietary guidelines for Americans. The guidelines recommend that we eat a variety of foods from the basic food groups and include at least two servings of fish per week for a well-balanced, healthy diet. Seafood can help fight obesity and lower cholesterol by providing a nutritious, low-fat source of protein. A compound found in fish called omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids helps protect against heart disease, cancer and arthritis, and helps alleviate symptoms of depression. With the latest news from NOAA Fisheries that fish populations are rebuilding -- in record time for some species -- we have plenty of reasons to incorporate more fish into our diets. Seafood is not only nutritious, but also extremely versatile with countless of delicious recipes to try. I kicked off the month of August by crowning Chef John Besh of Louisiana as the 2004 national champion of the Great American Seafood Cook Off in New Orleans. John competed against other chefs throughout the country at this annual event, which we co-sponsored in our efforts to highlight American seafood as a delicious and healthy food choice. Contestants were required to prepare dishes made from seafood caught off America’s coasts to promote awareness of the quality and sustainability of the seafood we eat. John offered a delicious Louisiana pan roasted blackfish dish, while other contestants prepared pan seared Delaware wild rockfish and Alaskan salmon, Alabama shrimp creole, Florida rum-glazed grouper, and Sauteed Maine lobster. Consumers often get misleading and/or conflicting information about the safety of eating certain seafood products due to concerns about contaminants like mercury and PCBs. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is responsible for establishing human food safety standards. I encourage consumers to turn to the FDA and other federal agencies such as the Environmental Protection Agency as the most reliable sources of information as you make informed decisions about which foods to eat. In most cases, mercury and PCBs are naturally occurring elements that are found in certain fish, but well within the federal guidelines for safe consumption. According to the FDA and EPA, “For most people, the risk from mercury by eating fish and shellfish is not a health concern.” Below you will find a link to the FDA’s advisory of which fish certain at-risk groups should limit. A recent study on contaminants in farmed salmon was published in Science Magazine and widely publicized in newspapers throughout the country. However, news stories overwhelmingly failed to point out that contaminant levels found in the study were well below the concern levels of the FDA, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, and the World Health Organization. The takeaway message is that salmon – whether farmed or wild-caught – is perfectly safe and extremely healthy to eat. I encourage you to peruse the links below to learn more about the healthful benefits of eating fish and other seafood and to take a look at the proposed dietary guidelines from the federal government. I am providing a link below where the Health and Human Services and the U.S. Department of Agriculture are accepting comments on these guidelines until September 27th. As the summer draws to a close, I want to wish you all a safe Autumn, and I encourage you to try out some of these wonderful seafood recipes!
 Bill Hogarth Director, National Marine Fisheries Service References Great
American Seafood Cookoff, Official Site Great
American Seafood Cookoff, Contestants and Recipes Celebrating American Seafood (brochure) U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Seafood Consumer Site Federal Guidance on Seafood Consumption and Mercury for At-risk Groups National
Fisheries Institute’s Seafood Health and Nutrition Site National
Fisheries Institute’s Seafood Recipe Site Proposed Dietary Guidelines for Americans for 2005
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