US scientists want to address seafood dilemma

Odd Grydeland The Northwest Fisheries Science Center (NFSC) is part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)'s Fisheries Service, which is "dedicated to protecting and preserving the nation's living marine resources through scientific research, fisheries management, enforcement and habitat conservation". 3 NFSC scientists have developed a set of recommendations for the education of American consumers about the real and perceived benefits and risks associated with increased seafood consumption. "Increasing seafood consumption will improve health and save lives", said the 3 scientists, Walton W. Dickhoff, Tracy K. Collier and Usha Varanasi. "A study by the Harvard Center for Risk Analysis suggested that if every adult in the United States consumed 8 ounces (=227 gram) of salmon per week, each year there would be 20,000 fewer deaths due to heart attack and 8,000 fewer strokes and stroke-related deaths. The recommendations call for an enhanced monitoring effort, consistent regulatory criteria between agencies, increased analytical capacity and publicly available user-friendly data on the helath benefits and risks associated with different species and sources of seafood. The scientists feel that consumer confusion about the safety of seafood is leading to less seafood consumption than is otherwise advisable and consistent with a healthy diet.