Earthjustice: Because the earth needs a good lawyer

King Mackerel

Name Submission: Courtesy of your friendly Earthjustice staff.
Why? To inspire names for the other fish.
Winner: "Unholy Mackerel"

Personal History
Found in the open waters of the western Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico, the king mackerel (Scomberomorus cavalla) is a large carnivorous fish that primarily feeds on sardine-like fish.

King mackerel are important for recreational and commercial fisheries. They have the potential to be ciguatoxic; poisoning by ciguatoxin can cause nausea, headaches, and numbness. King mackerel are often sold fresh, as fillets or steaks. They can also be smoked or salted.

Fish Consumption Advisories
At least nine states have issued statewide advisories for all populations of people (regardless of age or health) to limit their consumption of king mackerel due to mercury contamination.

Many states bordering the Gulf of Mexico recommend consuming only two meals of mackerel (6 ounces of cooked fish) a month. Florida recommends limiting consumption to one meal a month. Advisories also are in effect for king mackerel caught in the coastal waters of Maine, New Hampshire, Georgia, and North Carolina.

Walleye

Name Submission: Done!
Winner: "Walleye Be Damned"

Personal History
The walleye (Sander vitreus) is a freshwater fish native to most of Canada and the northern United States. The walleye's name originates from the way its eyes reflect light. It is the Minnesota state fish; more walleyes are consumed in Minnesota than anywhere else in the U.S.

Walleyes are primarily nocturnal and feed mainly on insects and fish, particularly yellow perch and freshwater drum. They are fished both recreationally and commercially. Many commercial fisheries are located in the Canadian waters of the Great Lakes. They are often hatched and raised for stocking lakes for game fishing.

A 2005 study by the Chicago Tribune found some walleye had such high levels of mercury that could have been banned by Canada for violating Canadian safety standards.

Fish Consumption Advisories
Over one thousand advisories recommending limits on the consumption of walleye for all populations of people have been issued throughout the United States. Minnesota alone has issued over 650, while Michigan has issued over 200. Seven states, including Vermont, Indiana, and North Dakota, have also included the walleye on state-wide advisories.

Advisories exist for waterbodies such as Lake Santeetlah and Lake Fontana in western North Carolina, located about 75 miles south of a cement kiln in Knoxville, TN.

Some advisories recommend limiting consumption of walleye to as little as 1 meal (6 oz. of cooked fish) a month.

Bluefin Tuna

Name Submission: Done!
Winner: "Blue Infection Tuna"

Personal History
Bluefin tuna are the Cadillac fish of the sea. Sleek and fast, these beautiful fish can swim across entire oceans for food and migration. They can be found in both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.

A delicacy at some sushi restaurants (they are often called "maguro"), the bluefin are highly coveted and highly overfished, which should be reason enough to avoid eating them. But because of their size (they can weigh up to 700 pounds and grow to 7 feet in length), they are usually high in mercury and often unsafe to eat.

Fish Consumption Advisories
According to a 2008 study by Oceana, mercury levels in tuna were much higher than the FDA data suggested.

One-third of sushi tuna samples exceeded the FDA "action level" of 1 part per million and nearly 90 percent of seafood counter attendants either did not know the FDA advice about mercury in fish, or gave a wrong interpretation of this warning.

The FDA lacks data on bluefin tuna and other popular sushi tuna species.

Wild Striped Bass

Name Voting: Done!
Winner: "Lanced Bass"

Personal History
An anadromous fish (migrating from a saltwater habitat to spawn in freshwater), wild striped bass (Morone saxatilis) are usually found in eastern North American coastal waters. They have been introduced in several countries, including Mexico, Ecuador, Iran, South Africa, and Russia.

Wild striped bass are distinguishable from farmed striped bass (a hybrid between striped bass and white bass) by their unbroken, solid stripes. It is the state fish of Maryland, Rhode Island, South Carolina, and the state marine fish of New York.

Juvenile striped bass feed on small shrimps and other crustaceans, while adults feed on a wide variety of fish, including herring, smelt, eel, and flounder.

Fish Consumption Advisories
Ten states have issued advisories for wild striped bass, including for bass caught in the San Francisco Bay Delta Region (no more than 6 meals per year), in the Delaware Bay (one meal per year for the general population; none at all for children and women of child-bearing age), and any freshwater sources in Indiana (no more than one meal a month of bass larger than 28").

Advisories are also in effect for the Chesapeake Bay and tributaries, all costal waters in Maine, Canyon Lake in Texas, Savannah River in Georgia, and more.