Timing of the NYT editorial likely due to recent report of mercury poisoning of NY actor Jeremy Piven, who ate sushi 2X day. 
------Original Message------ 
From: [log in to unmask] 
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To: [log in to unmask] 
ReplyTo: Scientific forum on fish and fisheries 
Subject: Re: Editorial on Mercury 
Sent: Dec 23, 2008 7:11 AM 
 
Thanks for the post -- I would hazard to assume that not everyone here   
on the list reads the NY Times. 
 
While the issue may be "old news" to many of us, it might be worth   
noting the politics behind the scenes from a John Q. Public   
perspective.  Specifically, why the big public dust-up between federal   
agencies over something as apparently arcane as fish consumption   
guidelines?  The editorial suggests that it's linked to attempts by   
the outgoing Administration to weaken federal regulatory oversight,   
but the Times did a disservice by not following up with some actual   
reporting.  The more informed readers such as anglers might also   
wonder why this is apparently only between the EPA and FDA, without   
input from the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS).  This story   
could thus also provide some insight into the nature of the divisions   
of responsibility between federal agencies, the ones affecting   
fisheries in this case. 
 
The domestic economic downturn may limit the resources that a paper   
like the Times can devote to an issue like this, but I would suggest   
that omitting the background and briefly stating a complex problem in   
an editorial may simply confuse the public readers rather than educate   
them. 
 
Best regards, 
 
Dave Kerstetter 
 
 
 
Quoting William Silvert <[log in to unmask]>: 
> 
> The following editorial in the New York Times on December 23, 2008, is 
> old news to most of you, but may still be of interest. 
> 
> So Is Fish Safe to Eat or Not? 
> 
> 
 
 
 
--  
David W. Kerstetter, Ph.D. 
Research Scientist and Adjunct Faculty 
NSU Oceanographic Center 
8000 North Ocean Drive 
Dania Beach, Florida  33004 
 
 
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ROBERT E. HUETER, Ph.D. 
[log in to unmask] 
Center for Shark Research 
Mote Marine Laboratory 
1600 Ken Thompson Parkway 
Sarasota, Florida 34236 USA 
 
Mote Marine Laboratory is an 
independent, nonprofit research 
and education organization. 
Opinions expressed are not Mote 
policy unless otherwise indicated. 
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