From a nutritional perspective, why do you veggies think that is bad to eat fish?!
There's trace amounts of everything from antibiotics to dyes in our water supply, and fish spend a lifetime sopping up that water. Obviously, it's already widely understood that the mercury content of many types of fish is very damaging (and a recent study I read concluded that 1 out of 3 women already has a harmful amount of mercury in her womb, and potentially can cause damage to her baby). The newer research coming out now about other things in our water supply - like the most recent news shocker about the quantity of antibiotics and medications in our water - just keeps adding icing to the cake.
I'm sure there are ways to avoid fish raised in contaminated water - maybe privately farmed fish, who are pretty much in existence just to be food, but even then that water is usually purified and tested tap water (and states worldwide admit that they don't test drinking water for antibiotic and many other deposits, just for certain trace metals and chemicals and filter accordingly).
Now aside from that, if you want other reasons not to eat fish, look up the effects of the fishing industry, the calamity that overfishing causes, and the projected collapse of sealife and marine ecosystems by 2050.
Answers: From only a nutritional perspective (not an environmental or moral one), a lot of fish is heavily contaminated nowadays. Not only mercury, but they swim in water, right? And the water on our planet isn't exactly clean. Factories worldwide dump waste, dyes and chemicals into our lakes, rivers, streams and oceans. And those that don't dump it into the water directly dump things into or onto our soil, which still causes a trickle down effect to underground water streams and currents, that in the end bottom out into the oceans, polluting the soil along the way.
There's trace amounts of everything from antibiotics to dyes in our water supply, and fish spend a lifetime sopping up that water. Obviously, it's already widely understood that the mercury content of many types of fish is very damaging (and a recent study I read concluded that 1 out of 3 women already has a harmful amount of mercury in her womb, and potentially can cause damage to her baby). The newer research coming out now about other things in our water supply - like the most recent news shocker about the quantity of antibiotics and medications in our water - just keeps adding icing to the cake.
I'm sure there are ways to avoid fish raised in contaminated water - maybe privately farmed fish, who are pretty much in existence just to be food, but even then that water is usually purified and tested tap water (and states worldwide admit that they don't test drinking water for antibiotic and many other deposits, just for certain trace metals and chemicals and filter accordingly).
Now aside from that, if you want other reasons not to eat fish, look up the effects of the fishing industry, the calamity that overfishing causes, and the projected collapse of sealife and marine ecosystems by 2050.
mercury
There isn't any nutrition obtained from fish that can't be obtained from plant foods... except cholesterol.
That, and fish is loaded with toxins.
Apart from mercury, they may also contain toxins and pollutants that were in their diet. This is especially true for fish that eat fish.
Anyway, my reasons for not eating fish are primarily ethical.
Because it's chock full of mercury, and I prefer my entrees sans neurotoxins.
Because all the chemicals that are in the water are in fish. Mercury, etc. I mean, if you like putting toxins in your body, then go ahead.
The only reason would be the mercury contamination which isn't as bad as some like to assert. The way it's dangers are described by some here, there should currently be a worldwide epidemic of mercury poisoning going on because people DO eat a lot of fish.
Overconsumption of fish could lead to a mercury related poisoning but once or twice a week isn't going to hurt anybody.
For those who are claiming that water is contaminated you are correct. But, so is the air and the soil.
I think shellfish is fine but I'm kind of freaked out by the mercury thing. I am now avoiding tuna a swordfish. Some say salmon contains mercury but I'm not completely sure. Some people take salmon oil capsules for omega fatty acids. You can get omega fatty acids from flaxseed oil capsules too you know.
^^ i agree with all those answers. but you kinda generalized a bit, "you veggies" a lot of vegetarians don't do it because of the nutritional benefit they do it because of the animals. :)
toxins, it has feelings, and fish smell.
the high toxin levels. All good things in fish are their because the fish ate the phytoplankton. which is a plant. So I'm skipping the poisonous middleman
I will try to give a balanced answer.
Positive- protein, omega 3 fatty acids, iodine, lots of vitamins
Negative- the ethics issue, high levels of mercury & dioxins, don't like the taste of it.
I'm vegetarian so I avoid ALL fish and meats.
Even though I am vegetarian, I cannot deny that fish has positive nutritional qualities. I simply choose not to eat it. I get my Omega 3 from Walnuts and other seeds. :-)