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Did you know that the number of finfish, shrimp and shellfish caught annually from the Gulf of Mexico is more than the catch from the Chesapeake Bay, South and Mid-Atlantic and New England areas combined? The Gulf is extremely economically important to the fishing industry and it is important to keep the Gulf ecosystem healthy [...]

Did you know that roughly half of Galveston Bay is permanently or temporarily closed to shellfish extraction due to bacteria in the water that would be a risk for humans consuming the shellfish? Viewer Tip: Do your part to avoid adding to the bacteria problems and help create an environment that can support healthy shellfish. [...]

Did you know that 75 percent of U.S. commercial fish and 80 to 90 percent of the recreational fish catch is dependant on estuaries (areas where fresh water and salt water mix) for habitat at some point during their lives? Viewer Tip: Estuary habitats can be degraded by erosion, pollution or chemicals that reach the water [...]

With increasing concerns about contaminants in the Gulf of Mexico’s seafood, researchers at Mississippi State University are looking for better ways to predict where these contaminants are likely to build up. Mercury (a metal) and DDT (an insecticide formerly used in the U.S. to kill mosquitoes) are persistent pollutants - staying put for many years without breaking [...]

The amount of toxic methyl mercury (MeHg) found in humans is positively correlated with fish consumption. King mackerel is a species that has been found to contain high levels of mercury. In 2003, over 3.7 million kilograms (8.1 million pounds) of king mackerel were landed recreationally and 2.38 million kilograms (5.2 million pounds) were landed [...]

When concentrations of mercury (Hg) were tested in ten different species of pelagic (oil-rich) fish in the Gulf of Mexico, three species had higher concentrations than the FDA criterion of 1.0 parts per million (ppm) wet weight. These fish were the blue marlin at 10.52 ppm, carcharhinid sharks at 1.61 ppm and little tunny at [...]

About 90 percent of methyl mercury (MeHg) found in wild fish is accumulated from the food they eat. Mercury is consumed faster than it is eliminated, so older and larger fish tend to have higher concentrations – this phenomena is called “bioaccumulation” or “biomagnification.” Smaller fish that are lower in the food chain have low [...]