Is it safe to eat fish caught off of the California coast?
I know it’s not a good idea to eat pier caught fish for toxicity reasons. I’ve seen all of the red/yellow zone charts.
But is it safe to eat fish you catch from a boat off of the california coast? If so how far out do you have to be before toxicity is not an issue?
Fish move around so the same fish you catch fishing off the pier or from the beach could have been caught from a boat. Although if you go far enough out, to be close to the huge areas of flotsam from the Japanese earthquake and tsunami, you could be exposed to pollutants and radiation not found in fish closer to California.
It is like this. On the pier there are signs about how much of various kinds of fish you should limit yourself to. On the boat, it’s up to you to obtain the same information. Some fish, like puffers, are naturally poisonous. You have to read up on what is safe. Also be sure to consider the source of the information. It should be scientific. Many "safety" warnings in California are political, designed to punish the political enemies of whatever group is in power. But not all of them.
You are already asking questions. That’s good.
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