Fish as food
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Artemas Ward · Public domain
Fish as food includes finfish and shellfish such as molluscs, crustaceans, and echinoderms in culinary contexts.[1] Among the more than 32,000 described fish species, which constitute the most varied group of vertebrates, roughly one-fifth are utilized as food by people.[2][3] The average yearly increase in global fish consumption per person was about 1.5 percent, rising from 9.0 kg in 1961 to 20.2 kg in 2015.[4]
Key facts and history
Since 1961, global fish consumption growth of 3.2% per year has outpaced population growth and most terrestrial meat consumption except poultry.[4] Asia consumed over two-thirds of the global 149 million tonnes of fish in 2015.[5] Fish proteins are especially important in small island developing states where total protein intake is low.[5] In 1961, Europe, Japan, and the United States together consumed 47% of the world's fish, but by 2015 that share had dropped to roughly 20%.[5]
Eating a 150g serving of fish supplies roughly half to three-fifths of the protein an adult requires daily.[5] The FDA advises that mercury levels in fish and shellfish pose no health risk for the general population, but can damage the developing nervous system of an unborn baby or young child.[6] Between 2010 and 2012, Oceana tested more than 1,200 seafood products sold in the U.S. and discovered that a third were incorrectly labeled.[7] A person who follows a diet that includes fish and seafood but excludes meat from mammals and birds is called a "pescetarian."[8]
What the cited sources add
Scombroid poisoning most often occurs from large dark meat fish like tuna and mackerel if not refrigerated promptly after death.[9] The US National Library of Medicine states that the harmful substances causing ciguatera, scombroid, and shellfish poisonings are heat-stable and cannot be destroyed by cooking.[9] The US National Library of Medicine reports that most shellfish poisonings occur during summer months, and advises checking with local health departments about seafood safety.[9] The US National Library of Medicine describes that paralytic shellfish poisoning can cause numbness or tingling in the mouth about 30 minutes after eating contaminated seafood.[9]
The US National Library of Medicine states that fish and shellfish poisonings occur infrequently in the United States.[9] The US National Library of Medicine advises that if you go to the emergency room, you should take a sample of the seafood if possible.[9]
References
- Wikipedia, "Fish as food" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Why is fish not considered as meat?", Seasoned Advice (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Fish as food" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: FishBase: June 2012 update. Retrieved 18 June 2012. (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Fish as food" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Fishes Used by Humans", fishbase.se (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Fish as food" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "In brief, The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture, 2018", FAO, 2018; "In brief, The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture, 2018", FAO, 2018 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Fish as food" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "In brief, The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture, 2018", FAO, 2018 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Fish as food" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "What You Need to Know About Mercury in Fish and Shellfish", Cfsan.fda.gov, 2009-09-17 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Fish as food" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Warner K, Timme W, Lowell B and Hirshfield M (2013) Oceana Study Reveals Seafood Fraud Nationwide Oceana. (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Fish as food" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: The Merriam-Webster dictionary dates the origin of the term pescetarian to 1993 and defines it as "one whose diet includes fish but no other meat". Merriam-Webs (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Poisoning – fish and shellfish US National Library of Medicine. Retrieved 21 July 2012.. facts only, no text reused. medlineplus.gov
Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Fish as food (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.
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Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Fish as food (CC BY-SA 4.0).
- Word definitions: the Codexery glossary, each quoted from its Wikipedia article.
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