DMG Posted April 24, 2017 Share Posted April 24, 2017 (edited) Hi Guys and Ladies, Just wanted to warn and show you the latest info from The NSW Food Authority's website about eating fish caught from Sydney Harbour. Sydney Harbour seafood All commercial fishing in Sydney Harbour has been halted due to elevated levels of dioxins detected in some fish and seafood. The area affected includes all of Port Jackson and it's tributaries. Recreational fishing is not closed but eating of Harbour fish should be limited (see How much can I eat? below). Fish can be caught and released. I felt a need to put this info on here as I see lots of people here catching and I assume eating fish from the Harbour,so I just wanted to post this to let you know. Thanks ! http://www.foodauthority.nsw.gov.au/foodsafetyandyou/special-care-foods/sydney-harbour-seafood What are dioxins? Dioxins are a group of chlorinated chemicals that originate from industrial pollution or are generated in natural processes such as bush fires. They are chemically stable and can stay in the environment for a long time. Dioxins can accumulate in the body fat of animals and humans. Where do dioxins come from? Residues of dioxins in seafood caught in Sydney Harbour/Parramatta River are likely to have their sources in contaminated sediments on the bottom of Homebush Bay. Current levels are likely due to many years of industrial activities previously along those waterways. On land, the main source of dioxin emission in Australia is through bushfires and burning of agricultural stubble. What are the health risks associated with dioxins? We are all exposed to very low levels of dioxin, mostly via the food we eat. At those low levels, there are no known health risks. Long term high level exposure to dioxins can sometimes cause a range of ill effects, including reproductive disorders and cancer. However, as concluded in the Food Standards Australia New Zealand Risk Assessment report on seafood from Sydney Harbour, the health risk associated with consuming seafood from Sydney Harbour/Parramatta River is low for the average Australian consumer. The government has closed the Harbour as a precautionary measure. What if I've been eating fish from Sydney Harbour? An increased health risk associated with dioxins only occurs from long term exposure to high levels of dioxin. It is unlikely that people consuming seafood from Port Jackson would have noticeable health effects from the seafood, even if the dietary advice below is occasionally exceeded (see How much can I eat? below). NSW Health advises people to contact their doctor if they are concerned about consumption of fish from Sydney Harbour/Parramatta River. The risk is considered low. I fish for recreation and I want to eat the catch. How much can I eat? An Expert Panel has advised the Government that people can continue to eat fish from Sydney Harbour providing they follow strict dietary advice. Dietary advice No seafood caught west of the Sydney Harbour Bridge should be eaten. You should release your catch. For seafood caught east of the Sydney Harbour Bridge generally no more than 150 grams per month should be consumed. Testing of popular species has allowed for more specific dietary advice. The table below provides advice on the maximum consumption of specific species. Table: Recommended maximum intake based on eating a single species caught east of the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Species Number of 150 gram serves Amount per month Prawns 4 per month 600g Crabs 5 per month 750g Bream 1 per month 150g Dusky Flathead 12 per month 1800g Fan-belly Leatherjacket 24 per month 3600g Flounder 12 per month 1800g Kingfish 12 per month 1800g Luderick 12 per month 1800g Sand Whiting 8 per month 1200g Sea Mullet 1 every 3 months 50g Silver Biddie 1 per month 150g Silver Trevally 5 per month 750g Tailor 1 per month 150g Trumpter Whiting 12 per month 1800g Yellowtail Scad 8 per month 1200g Squid 4 per month 600g Note: 1.) The advice in the table is provided where only 1 species is being eaten in the month. Each guideline number of serves is therefore the recommended total intake for the month. For example eating 150 grams of Bream and 600 grams of prawns in one month would exceed the recommended intake. Note 2.) This table will be updated if new results become available. This dietary advice is based on testing of seafood species. What about commercial fishing? The NSW Government has suspended all commercial fishing in Port Jackson (Port Jackson is the area inside Sydney Harbour, Parramatta River, Lane Cove River and Middle Harbour). How do I know if fish I’ve bought are from Port Jackson? All Port Jackson fish and crustaceans have been removed from sale. (Port Jackson is the area inside Sydney Harbour, Parramatta River, Lane Cove River and Middle Harbour). How long do dioxins last? Dioxins can last for decades in the environment. What about imported seafood? The NSW Food Authority recently tested imported prawns and fish for dioxins. The dioxin results for the imported seafood were well below the European Union limit for dioxins in food of less than 4TEQpg/g for dioxin. Last updated: 14-December-2015 Contact us 1300 552 406 8.30am - 5.30pm | Monday - Friday Edited April 24, 2017 by DMG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Burger Posted April 26, 2017 Share Posted April 26, 2017 Interesting that the 'testing of Seafood' link points to the reults from 10 years ago. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wellzy94 Posted April 26, 2017 Share Posted April 26, 2017 It would be interesting to see a more recent test conducted to see how the dioxin levels in the fish have varied in the last 10 years. It's also interesting to see recommendation of not eating any fish at all west of the harbour bridge... Do fish west of the bridge stay west of the bridge? Cheers, Wellzy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fragmeister Posted April 26, 2017 Share Posted April 26, 2017 5 hours ago, Wellzy94 said: It would be interesting to see a more recent test conducted to see how the dioxin levels in the fish have varied in the last 10 years. It's also interesting to see recommendation of not eating any fish at all west of the harbour bridge... Do fish west of the bridge stay west of the bridge? Cheers, Wellzy All the fish west of the bridge and those east of the bridge line up and face each other off ... both refusing to cross into the others territory! It all seems a little silly really. I bet the fish don't read the dietary regulations. But yes, it would be a good thing to see more recent tests. I suspect that the toxins may be differently distributed... some covered by silt , some spread and diluted and perhaps some even greater concentrations from run off in some areas that have been recently disturbed through development. Cheers Jim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wellzy94 Posted April 26, 2017 Share Posted April 26, 2017 For sure Jim. I reckon we could co-write, direct and produce a play- West Side Story: Tails of Sydney Harbour! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fragmeister Posted April 26, 2017 Share Posted April 26, 2017 No, the poisons don't go away but they can be covered by non contaminated layers of mud and they are diluted by virtue of being spread over a larger area.... a bit like diluting a teaspoon of salt in a swimming pool...still the same amount of salt but much less concentrated and presumably less dangerous. Still, not a good thing but the Pararramatta river system seems to have improved in the last 10 years from what I have seen. I am little surprised at this though given the impact the "no wash" river cats. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoingFishing Posted April 28, 2017 Share Posted April 28, 2017 On 26/04/2017 at 6:42 PM, fragmeister said: No, the poisons don't go away but they can be covered by non contaminated layers of mud and they are diluted by virtue of being spread over a larger area.... a bit like diluting a teaspoon of salt in a swimming pool...still the same amount of salt but much less concentrated and presumably less dangerous. Still, not a good thing but the Pararramatta river system seems to have improved in the last 10 years from what I have seen. I am little surprised at this though given the impact the "no wash" river cats. Hi Jim from what i understand the testing they are doing includes both the dioxins in the water/seafloor and the other tests are on the fish themselves. i would imagine the dietary recommendations are based on the testing on the fish rather than the seafloor/water Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fragmeister Posted April 28, 2017 Share Posted April 28, 2017 7 hours ago, GoingFishing said: Hi Jim from what i understand the testing they are doing includes both the dioxins in the water/seafloor and the other tests are on the fish themselves. i would imagine the dietary recommendations are based on the testing on the fish rather than the seafloor/water Yes, of course but the two are interrelated... the greater the concentration of toxins in the sediment in the uppermost layers the more it is absorbed up the food chain. Is there a direct correlation? I don't know but I imagine so. Cheers Jim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
krause Posted May 1, 2017 Share Posted May 1, 2017 Put them back, itll make a great fishery, even if the bream have the eyes i guess they had to draw a line somewhere Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Houdini Posted May 1, 2017 Share Posted May 1, 2017 how would you go if you ate the entire list in a single month is that still considered healthy? well maybe not 3kg of jackets and the other bigger serves but all the smaller ones Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Welster Posted May 1, 2017 Share Posted May 1, 2017 5 hours ago, Houdini said: how would you go if you ate the entire list in a single month is that still considered healthy? well maybe not 3kg of jackets and the other bigger serves but all the smaller ones I think you wouldn't notice. They commercially fished the harbour before the sudden stop. My understanding is the Europeans had the lowest advisory levels in their standards. We changed our standards to match theirs and soon after the harbour was closed to commercial fishing. Its the long term accumulation of the chemicals that could cause a problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DMG Posted May 12, 2017 Author Share Posted May 12, 2017 Wasn't my study. Just letting you know what the health experts say. Eat as much as you want,just throw back the ones with 2 heads. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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