Does seafood contain toxic chemicals? Do birds fly? It's shouldn't be so surprising being that most pollutants in some way or another get into the water.

Nowhere in this article did they state what the "toxic chemicals" were. Terrible reporting!

The chemicals include malachite green, a fish medicine. Other chemicals are listed in the story.

For John Hunt +2....READ in the very beginning of the article:

Footage taken by a U.S. advocacy group of seafood being raised in Vietnam, for example, showed fish in dirty sewage water, pumped with toxic antibiotics and banned drugs just to keep them alive, boosting production and driving down costs.

‘Disturbing number’
Ron Sparks is commissioner of the state Department of Agriculture in Alabama — one of the few states that tests imported seafood for drugs like chloramphenicol, nitrofurans and malachite green, chemicals so toxic to humans that they’re banned in all food.

But industry will regulate itself... so says the tea party.

@John Hunt The report does state CHLORAMPHENICOL, NITROFURAN and MALACHITE GREEN. Local American fishermen lose their jobs because they cannot compete with the CHEAP and TOXIC imports. The same goes for here in Haiti. The local farmers abandon their farms because they cannot compete with the cheap imports. Trade protective barriers should be in placed to protect local farmers/fishermen. Buy American or Haitian since Haiti is so close to the United States and can be regulated :-).

Reply to John Hunt - read more carefully. "Ron Sparks is commissioner of the state Department of Agriculture in Alabama — one of the few states that tests imported seafood for drugs like chloramphenicol, nitrofurans and malachite green, chemicals so toxic to humans that they’re banned in all food. “In some cases, between 40 and 50 percent of our tests will come out positive,” Sparks said. “That’s a disturbing number.”"

I also read recently where a lot of the seafood originated from Thialand and Vietnam contain anti-freeze chemical components so they maintain freshness longer as they're being shipped ever so slowly from their country to ours! Why would we buy anything from those countries where they worship lead in all ingredients, slow-cook rats, feline cats are a delicacy, as are elephant balls, shark fin, tiger sperm, rhino husks, etc...

They don't give a sh*t about what gets sent over here!!!

North Atlantic and Washington State Shellfish are the only safe choices, even though it's a few bucks more!

I don't know what all the fuss is about, the answer is really quite simple. Don't eat, drink, or smoke ANYTHING, and hold your breath. We'll get through this!

To Jon Hunt,

You flunked reading comprehension tests all through school, correct?

The FDA doesn't regulate foreign seafood from places like China that is known for selling the US poisoned items. But the government is trying to pass legislature that will close down the small local farmer that sells us wholesome trustworthy food. This makes no sense. People really need to wake up.

The FDA doesn't regulate foreign seafood from places like China that is known for selling the US poisoned items.

In fact, according to test results obtained by NBC News, this year alone 8 percent of the seafood the FDA tested from China was tainted,

This report is extremely disturbing !!! We ALL need to do something about it !!! We are slowly and surely killing ourselves and children when eating or feeding this 3rd world garbage food !!! We ALL need to contact our local and federal government and demand accountability for whoever is responsible for permitting this tainted food ever reaching our shores and tables !!! This truly disgusts me !!! WAKE UP AMERICANS!!!!!

Another reason why SO MANY PEOPLE are being diagnosed with CANCER...Let the people that have poisonus fish eat their own fish

Ken Johnson - why should they care what they ship us to eat, when in fact its the purchasers of that food that dont really care? Because if the purchasers and consumers cared, they wouldnt get away with sending us toxic seafood.

Cara - yeah, that darn media always getting out of control...i mean, seriously, who'd believe that big business would import toxic seafood...or at the very least, not ensure that they are importing quality non-toxic food, right? Clearly, business has shown over and over again, they value consumers health ahead of profits...right?

The American Economy and People would be so much better off if we turned to eachother for the production of our needs and wants.

Farmer's markets need to be made year-round, and everyone needs to buy from them. Not quite sure how that would work in the winter, though. Then people would have to buy from various areas of the country, but still from the U.S. Of course, a lot of food staples can be stored. Less houses should be built, and more agricultural land preserved so that every state can buy locally. Now, where do we start? Can someone start a web-site where we can sign petitions to send to our representatives? We need protectionism, and everyone needs to buy USA made. (I'm not a manufacturer or anything like that, just so you know). We also need to hold big corporations accountable. We need to become an independent, self-sustaining country again, not a service oriented country as we are becoming.

Kelly -- SeaPak does label their packages of where it comes from.. I buy their Shrimp almost exclusively now, because it comes from St. Simon's Island near Savannah Georgia.

Their to busy testing your children's toys . It might have lead in the paint . They might put the toys in their mouth . The packing might be toxic . Every news media will report on this for weeks , four times a day .
But don't be scared . The FDA and N.O.A.A. are tell everybody the sea food coming out of the Gulf of Mexico is safe . Their doing a sniff test . They got somebody smelling the fish to tell you it's safe .
This article , is like a shell game .Which shell is the pee under ? They don't want you to think about the dangers of the fish coming out of the gulf .
Poof , all the oil is gone . Just because the FDA said so . Yes , Poof all gone .
They want you to believe this .You and I are mindless .We're not suppose to think .
So use extrema caution : Don't touch any toys until you're sure there isn't a recall on them . But eat your fill of all the sea food you want .
RON

They are still determining how best to test the Gulf seafood. In many cases this all needs to be discovered becasue the exact issue is new.

Not too worry, though. I am sure the FDA will soon be defunded and disbanded in the name of freedom and deficit cutting.

Tough problem.

The western gulf seafood is fine. The eastern part, well, you can blame the fearless leader and his procrastination for now being able to eat it. I love on the gulf coast and wouldn't eat anything I didn't catch myself. If you live in Texas just drive down there and buy it fresh. If you don't then I might suggest you stick to fresh water fish.

teresa, the media loves you. They don't have to post data, talk about what chemicals, what stardards they are referring to. Whether the risk exceeds your risk of being struck by a meteor...and you just fall for it.

Did you know when you grill out (or in) you form PAH compounds which could, may, possibly, lead to chronic health issues. Have you let down your family (just parroting your FDA statement)...did you click on the link that had their response...or just responded based on your biases ?

Ron, post the data that supports your claim. Or your job, and educational background that allows you to make chemistry based toxicolgical risk decisions.

If anybody suffers from emotional issues from your claims of toxic effects (made without fundemental science, or experience)...should you be held liable...in your opinion ??

The FDA has been underfunded for years and years and years in the spirit of lower taxes.

People only care about how the FDA is doing when they can't.

TODAY the Senate is to vote on the Food Safety Modernization Bill (S.510). We NEED this bill to pass, but the Repubs are protecting..guess who! NOT YOU!

AnIndividual has figured out why this article was run today. What does the bill do? Does it address this issue? No. It makes farms create documents and allocates money to hire more people to inspect the documents.

Furthermore, one of the Senators holding this up is a Democrat from California that wants a BPA ban written into the bill. Why? Because the National Toxicology Program, a legacy program from the 70's that should have been replaced by EPA's IRIS program, says MAYBE the chemical can be bad. This is the same agency that has listed ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES as Known Carcinogens.

The government needs to focus its efforts in areas such as food safety and chemical safety to where it can make real difference, not just scare people. So while the government wants to pass a bill making small farms create documents and reports, and hire more bureaucrats to handle them, it gives you the impression through media articles like this that they staffing and spending to handle real problems.

I am sick of all the spin!

Including your own?

Read the bill (S.510) for yourselves! Go to http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d111:SN00510:

The Senate has voted FOR cloture on it today.

This bill is about beefing up food safety. (No pun intended!)

FYI: check out the sponsors of this bill! REPUBLICANS sponsored it! Talk about "spin"!

John-1425001
Your falling for the shell game . While I'm trying to make people think , about how the media is trying their best to distract our view , from the gulf and the problems there . This article could have been reported years ago .
How many bureaucracy's are failing us ?
You find it move sporting to attack me ? Your the one who is little , and unthinking . I've written nothing I have to prove . In my eyes you've only be-little yourself , by trying to belittling me .
Read the story and comments and learn .
RON

So which is it? Cut spending and reduce the size of government by defunding government agencies and programs, or do more to conduct tests and insure that our food does not contain toxic chemicals? You can't do both of those things at once. Either you sacrifice the safety of our food, or you give the FDA enough money to actually do their job.

Well, AnIndividual, you are a pro. I just pointed out that a Dem was also holding up the bill because you pros like to make everything sound partisan. Quote: "but the Repubs are protecting..guess who! NOT YOU!". The truth is that both Democrats and Republicans are capable of creating bureaucracy that is of marginal value. It was Republicans that created the Department of Homeland Security to duplicate efforts of the other spy agencies, and telling me that TSA agents copping a feel makes me safer.

Yes, it will "beef up" food safety by making farmers come up with compliance plans and documents, while they continue doing the same thing they are doing now... except they will be hiring consultants to put the crap together, and the states will be hiring more brown shirts to see that everyone has their papers in order. I feel so much better knowing that these costs will show up at the pumpkin farms and orchards, and that there will be more people in DC pushing papers around, while nothing on the ground ... in reality... changes.

That's the spin I hate! Not all spin needs to favor one political party or the other.

There are farmers and there are "farmers". Big Agriculture has bought out most old farms. There are still small operations that are indeed small. Big Ag is fighting especially against the Tester-Hagan and Manager's Admendments to this bill which will help protect farmers who sell their produce or goods locally to farmers markets, customers, stores and restaurants from excessive regulations that could harm their ability to compete and even survive. There are many small farms which are true small operations. Many provide organic food and Big Ag hates healthy and sustainable farming...sure they use the words, but they are trying in every way to control everything from seeds to land!

It seems that all the "dooms-day talk"of the worst that can happen with anything comes from Republicans. Using fear and ignorance is a cowardly way to fight, but as long as there are gullible people around to believe it, they will continue to do it. Why is it that bills and amendments that were originally Repub ideas have been voted against, not by Democrats, but Republicans! Why is it that the Republicans favor Big Ag, Big Insurance, Big Banks, Big Pharma - Big Everything!$$$$$- over the people who ARE our country.

Granted, there are Democrat sell-outs to Big Business, too, but it just seems that Repubs are not that concerned about the average American, but are on top of Big Business protections. We are Citizens first, but Big Business wants our government and the world set up where all people are regarded as only Consumers. Why are Republicans so afraid of Consumer Protection? And please don't answer with the stock industry lines which are for nothing but the benefit of Big Ag, Big Banks, Big Everything. People are not believing all the sweetness and flowers and rainbow ads from Exxon, Dow Chemical, Monsanto, Con-Agra, BP, Goldman Sachs, Boeing, the plastics industry, etc., any more. Not one Democrat or Republican in intelligent districts filled with people who are paying attention should stay in office if they represent Business more than People. US Senators and Representatives are elected by the people to represent the people, not Big Busine$$. We need Campaign Reform to assure that our country, our government serves the people without any question.

Ron Sparks in this story ran for Alabama Govenor and lost because the big stupid political discussion in Alabama was all about slot machine Bingo. Not about the BP spill, or education issues, but Bingo!

So we lost a good Governor that would look after the people's interest and safety, because of stupid politics on Bingo, and the GOP candidate rode in on a wave of national anti-democrat stupidity.

Not only that Sparks will not be Agriculture Commisioner anymore since he ran for Governor. All his good work in that office as you see in this story will now probably be de-regulated by the GOP in charge.

That's the sad state of politics in our modern media spoon fed propaganda world. It's not a matter of who is best for the job, it is now a popularity contest.

Maybe someone should start a Ron Sparks for President campaign! I'd join! and I'm sure he would do a much better job than Obama! or anyone that the GOP could nominate for POTUS.

Can anyone seriously believe that Palin could be a good President? God I hope we aren't that far gone in selecting leaders that can actually do the job...!

You're right. That poison is no better.

Don't worry , don't worry .If your children are born with extra toes or fingers . They can be surgically removed , or they can star in sci/ fy movies when they get older . That's my boy , six toe Johnny . So eat all the chicken and beef you want .
RON

Do you feed your children peanut butter, or fried foods, they are known to contain cancer causing substances....

Be concerned..but don't be a tool...read a book, take a class.

John
Sorry , you can't see a spoof of another persons statement .
But if you want to make a study of the effects of hormones .
Go back about twenty years and read about the birth defect in Central and South America . The kid born with extra toes or fingers . I didn't dream this up .
I was just trying to make a joke about it .
So feel free to eat all the fish , chicken or beef you want .
Breath in a big lung full of gulf air .
Do they call you six toe John ?
RON

We could fire/retire half of the FDA employees and still have the same results from them. So let's begin cutting the size of the Federal Government with them. Could it be, just perhaps, that some of them are on the take?

Many European nations are way ahead of our FDA. Several European countries had serious cautions, black boxes, and laws against the use of several of the more popular anti-depressants used for adolescents years ago.

For seven years the American group; Focus Adolescent Services were warning parents and professionals of the serious negative potential side effects of these seretonon-enhancers. We have to thank them for perhaps saving the lives of many American children. Yeah, send them a gift of thanks. It took the FDA just seven years to "black-box" these same medications. I have to ask why? The research was out there, other nations had acted. Could it be, just perhaps, that the pharmaceutical companies and the FDA have a relationship that we the people are unaware of?

Now to our food supply. How many recalls have there been in recent years on our greens? The spinach and other produce we use for salad. Tainted food, poison, and we are rarely told where the root of the problem was. I recall, in one case, they blamed it on the cows that grazed miles away.

We cannot and should not rely on the FDA to guarantee the safety of our food. The burden is upon us.

I recall a wonderful conversation with the poet Gary Snyder about food, decades back. We talked until breakfast. The agreement was to eat foods that were indigenous.

I am still able to keep a rather large garden. My orchards were started a long time ago. We freeze and can still. I am lucky. During the 1940's and 50's there was community space for apartment dwellers to have a small garden. No longer, it has been built on.

I have to manage carefully our food budget. Three dollars a pound for apples in the local grocery store, my trees are still bearing Bread is how much?We make our own. The sizes are smaller and the prices keep rising. I am concerned about families feeding their children healthy food when at the end of every isle in the grocery is junk for cheap. A dozen eggs?

San Francisco outlaws "kidsmeals," while people are being poisoned by foods they believe to be safe.

I love a good piece of meat and seafood from time to time. My pork I buy in from another state and have for decades. My lamb, the same, just a different state. The same with chickens. I have not found a place for beef.

I am able to get a lot of our seafood from local waterman. That is all good. However, our waters are not warn enough for shrimp. And you guessed it, shrimp is one of my favorite foods.

I had a long running deal with a Gulf waterman who would ship me shrimp, the huge babies from The Gulf. No more, he claims they are poison. Again many European countries had outlawed the disspersants used by BP in The Gulf. They found serious dangers in the COREXIT EC 9500A and EC 9527A. The FDA said this stuff is good for you to inhale and injest. My shrimper says people are getting very sick, taken to their beds, coughing blood, high fevers...

I don't understand why lawyers in America are not lined up for a "Class Action" law suit against BP on behalf of every citizen of these United States of America. The water belongs to all of us, from sea to shining sea.

It makes me sick to think, to know that people are paying their hard earned money for unsafe and potentially deadly food.

This is America, the greatest country in the world. For The Love of God Please.

Except these fish and shrimp isn't being shipped by Thailand. They're from the US.

Actually it's not. Read the article.

And you thought they only poisoned our petfoods like China' -- *smile*

Doctors are probably just as clueless about all this as the rest of us. The FDA needs to do a better job. If they need more people then they should hire them.

The sick people are either waiting for or being denied chemo .

Two days ago . I handed my doctor an article I printed off the internet .
The article was about a number of people who worked out in the gulf , and how sick they are . They had been collecting the oil off the top of the water in the gulf . The doctors didn't know how to treat these people . How to get the toxic out of their body .
Living only 300 miles from the gulf . I'm expecting in the near future , many people getting sick with respiratory problems .
I'm not waving my sign "The sky is falling "yet . But I'm ready .
So if you live another couple of hundred miles from the gulf . You've got an extra couple of weeks , before you get sick .
RON

So Ron, what did the doctor say, who wrote the article, and what was the follow up result. Look, you just posted a health warning based on biases and hearsay. It was oil..is that the same stuff fueling your car ?? Burning in your heater ??

Just saying, the internet has no peer review, anybody can post anything on it. Why the heck would anybody near the gulf get respiratory problems ?? That is not a risk factor from the spill ?

YOu should be held accountable for the mental anguish you cause to other by your ignorance of chemical risk assessment

Call your US Senator today to pass the Food Safety Modernization Bill (S.510) - to protect us not $$$$!

It is up for a Senate vote TODAY!!!!..and the Repubs are trying to block that, too!

AnIndividual, which democrat do you work for?

Roger which big business do YOU work for that makes a priority of profits rather than people's health?

There is no great mystery here on MD's. Go online and read how much study on "nutrition" it takes to get through medical school. It is a limited amount. If you need help in proper nutrition I would suggest a few of the thousands of books or engaging the serivces of a nutritionist.

For those of you who suggest tossing more money into the FDA or hiring more people to work there, I would encourage you to visit their offices in Bethesda, Maryland and take the tour. It is a real "eye-opener."

Jherek, I actually do work in regulatory compliance, with small business, which is why I know you can't judge a bill by its title. As AnIndividual pointed out, the bill was sponsored by Republicans, but he is playing partisan politics with his comments.

The bill addresses peoples health by making farmers document a compliance plan, and then send in reports. It really does not do anything to improve your health, unless you work for the government and the additional job security lowers your blood pressure, or you are a compliance professional and will make more money for your prescriptions by selling canned plans to small farmers. These farmers generally will have to make no changes outside, but inside will have buy more file cabinets for the required plans and record keeping. He may have to spend more time on paperwork and less tending his farm.

So, Jherek, be aware that just because the government is spending more on regulation doesn't mean that there will be any noticeable benefit to your health or well being. You need to see what they are really saying, because it can mean that the only changes are more bureaucrats and more consultants being paid out of your pocket when you buy food. You will still eat the same quality asian fish, and, since small farmers may not be able to afford the extra costs of compliance, you will eat more industrially processed food. Wow! What a benefit!

You really can't trust that the legislation will be in your interest just by guessing which party is pushing it.

It takes time for the poisons to build up in your body which can result in cancer and horrific illness.

Roger, I grew up in politics and understand it from the inside out. PoliSci classes don't teach what it is really about or how it is really done.

AnIndividual, I appreciate your insight into politics. I can't argue with your post above that the Republicans saying "free enterprise" means less costs on Big Ag, Big Pharma, and the rest of the interests that are their source of funds. On the other side, we have the Democrats who when they say they "represent the people" mean that they protect the interests of Big Union, Big Government, Big Enviro, and selected Big Finance, which are the source of their funds. Each party, driven by their funding, is moving to an extreme So the Dems tell me I can't trust Big Business gone wild, and that is true. The Republicans tell me you can't trust big government gone wild, and that is true. What about a balance?

We have seen speculation gone wild a couple of times in the recent past. We had the Y2K hype which created jobs, many at inflated wages. People were making money, so neither party had the political will to protect anyone from the crash. When it ended, those who took the risk also took the haircut. Who was too big to fail? The old venerable American Icon Western Electric, renamed Lucent, went down and is now French. While a number if IRAs took a beating, we survived. So did the stronger of the tech companies like Cisco. A bit of pain, but no bailout.

Neither party had the political will to intervene in the housing bubble, or at least enough political will to make something happen. More people were in houses, even if they couldn't afford them, good paying construction jobs were being created, banks were earning fees, why stop a good thing? When the bubble broke, the government used the opportunity to award their friends. Lets value these mortgage packages at zero, even though middle class Joe is still making his payments. Lehman could fail, but AIG, who had over a third of their default policies held by Goldman Sachs, deserved a bailout. On which side of the ledger and how high up do we find Goldman Sachs on the political party donor list? JPMorgan-Chase were compliant and got the deposits of Wachovia, even though a more outspoken Victor Pandit at Citi would have benefited more in the area of stability. Bank of America gets stuck with Countrywide and Merrill Lynch, and when Ken Lewis cries uncle, he's out. Then the party of the people demonized bank pay and their reluctance to make loans out in the public forum, while quietly they are skimming $4B a quarter out of BoA in preferred dividends. No small business loans, with the bad economy, we couldn't qualify. But the government got their share! Then, in the effort to stabalize banks, the government steals the lucrative student loan business. I am told that I need to deal with Great Lakes Financial. When Hillary is president will it be Ozark Financial? The friends are being taken care of. Too bad the middle class is not considered a friend. In spite of the Billions pumped into the economy, things are still slow. I saw a graphic on mortgage defaults ... Sub Prime Variable defaults are dropping, so the speculators and those who shouldn't have had a mortgage in the first place are being taken care of. Sub Prime Fixed are stable, but Prime Fixed defaults, yes, Middle America, are on the rise. Who gets bailed out? The Teachers Union cannot feel any pain, The Government Employees Union must be kept happy, and the United Auto Workers at GM and all their "Cadillac" benefits need to be protected. Let's look at the donation tables again.

But lets get back to regulatory compliance. What is the administration's tack on regulation? In the Mine Safety Act, OSHA is given the power to shut down an operation that they deem dangerous. This is not just mines, but any company. Businesses are guilty until proven innocent. OSHA has out for comment a policy change which will turn their consulting program into an enforcement tool. Many small businesses like to use this service because as they grow, and as the rules change, they have a chance to get their operations evaluated and take corrective action without fear of fines. If this becomes a compliance tool, triggering a full OSHA investigation, nobody in their right minds will use the service. How does that help worker safety? All it does is give another means to transfer wealth. What about the policy to change the definition of "feasible" when it comes to PPE? Who is going to want to hire or expand in the US with that open ended regulatory threat? What happened to sane approaches like "best practices"? They don't give the government enough control or penalty assessment authority to be acceptable, but they can create a safe and workable environment that can keep businesses in the US.

I am speaking from the Poly Sci class of first hand experience, not the fantasy world of Washington DC. Tell your bosses, either Democrat or Republican, that they need to get real, or they won't be in power...and we are sick of the spin.

Roger ...how I wish I had more time... + I need some air, some time away from The Vine.

Have to admit to you: i was not reading or even considering your ideas in a thoughtful way. I was reacting to what I have become accustomed to reading on the Vine; a very easy rut in which to become lost! I apologize for my lack of respect and recklessness.

You have a very informed and well thought out point of view with some excellent points. I look forward to reading more of your posts and hearing your take on things.

BTW: for perception's sake, I am not a male and I do not work for or even get near politicians.

May we all become more clear-headed, informed, and civil for our country's sake.

Only half the answer. Corporations have to 'settle' for not making the biggest profit possible. Profits are available for US based companies, but more can be had overseas. Business has a hard time not chasing every last possible penny of profit.

Kinda like cigarettes................

Interesting. When did you visit?

Didn't the story just address shellfish? Tilapia is scaled.

Paul,

Enjoy your poison Chinese seafood. Yeah, I know there facilities are so good, that's why almost everything from China is complete junk, or poisoned right out of the box (ever hear of poison pet food, toys, or drywall all from China).

Personally, I will NEVER eat Tilapia again, or any other food from the far east. You'd have to be suicidal.

I rarely call people names, but in your case it's appropriate. You sir are a MORON.

My husband traveled extensively in China in manufacturing and to say it is cleaner than anything in the United States is as far from the truth as you can get. Perhaps there are a few clean facilities, but fish farms are not clean by the very nature of the business. China has a history of making toxic products. Buy local, buy US.

The FDA is a privately owned institution that protects business. It is in the same category as the Federal Reserve, a private enterprise that would like you to think that it is a government agency. Please don't be conned into thinking that the FDA is a government agency with a mandate to protect the consumer.

So is not reporting the problem.

Jim, after your comment I am left wondering what industry you work in? I agree that China is not the only player but they handle one of the highest percentages so by default they get most of the headlines.

Tainted seafood is just one of the many issues with imported food. I understand that Americans would rather pay $4 instead of$5 but they need to understand that low cost means a sacrifice somewhere. I have researched this topic and have written four different articles on the subject of imported food and the government agencies that police them. As it turns out, many times the agencies disagree as to who is responsible for what.

I would rather pay $10.00 instead of $4, just show me the all American food isle please.

I can and will cut my expenses on something else.

California has a water problem, it would be ridiculous to start fish farming there. Who says the Asians are eating the same sea food we are??? American's DEMAND cheap plentiful food, this is what you get. As a beef producer, I've worked my azz off for 20 years, 365 days a year to feed people such as yourself. I would probably qualify for food stamps, too due to the "cheap food" bandwagon!

Have you forgotten the poison toothpaste from China??? This fish story is nothing new, I've heard it before, months ago. "Seafood is the healthiest protein you can eat"...are you kidding me??? Did you not read or listen to the video??? You think a very small group of US fishermen have the kind of power to get this on TV??? Think again! No, the trade folks in D.C. have the power, some scientist in Alabama just blew the whistle. The government doesn't give a rats behind if the imports from China are safe...THEY FREAKIN' OWN US!!

Salmonela??? Hey talk to the packers, it didn't come from my place!

Licenses for fish and shrimp farms are easily attained in the US. These farms are everywhere in the South; especially Mississippi. Corporate fish farmers find more profit overseas; that's why they're there; not our governments fault.

Fish farms are a blight on the environment. The feed and feces drop to the sea bottom and it is a waste land below the pens. The fish are fed antibiotics and are so closely packed that sea lice are prolific and attach themselves to wild salmon smolt causing the smolt to weaken and die. That's ok as far as the owner's of the fish farms are concerned as it kills off the wild competition. The area between Vancouver Island and mainland British Columbia has a lot of fish farms adjacent to fish spawning streams and sea lice are decimating the native population of salmon smolt. Besides, if you can stand eat the crap the fish farms produce, you must not know what salmon should taste like.

Old vet...slow down...US based fish suppliers are not the overseas suppliers.

Remove your bias, research, apply independent critical thinking.

And if profit or money are not important...explain to your family and friends why you don't drive them in the safest (say expensive) cars, or safest (say more expensive) foods.

Just saying...all products and services have risks whether we like it our not...if you want near zero risk, pay near infinity prices.

Kattlekween says: "California has a water problem, it would be ridiculous to start fish farming there. Who says the Asians are eating the same sea food we are???"

California has lots of seacoast. I don't see any "water problem" there for salt water fish farming.

Considering that most Asians have far less money than most Americans; I don't think that Asians are shipping the cheap, crappy fish to the US and eating the expensive top quality fish themselves.

As for the rest of your post: Relax, take a deep breathe and go to your happy place. Calm blue ocean. Calm blue ocean.

That used to be the case. Doctors now advise pregnant women and young children not to eat fish because of the high mercury content. These poisons don't usually kill instantly. It takes time for them to build up in your system.

Not sure exactly which cold and diet remedies you are talking about, but you can get cold remedies which contain ephedrine at the pharmacy without a prescription. You just have to show your ID and sign for it. (People use it to make crystal meth, so they are trying to prevent anyone from getting much of it at one time.) Some of the diet drugs have caused people to have heart attacks and die. Totally not worth the risk, so they took it off the market. Best way to diet is just eat fewer calories.

This was supposed to post as a response to Post #15.0.

Below is a link to information dead zones, and photos of such areas. Dead zones are often the result of pollution, but not always. In news articles in 2006-2007, we found out that most, if not all, of China's rivers were polluted. As these dump into oceans and up around coasts where many fish and shrimp farms may be located, and given the biology of these farms, the news in this article isn't new - it's just an update. The reason the conditions in Asia are so important is simply, most of our seafood is coming from those regions. We need to know the conditions of those waters from which most of our seafood is coming.

http://disc.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/oceancolor/additional/science-focus/ocean-color/science_focus.shtml/dead_zones.shtml

Google 'dead zone', 'seafood farms', 'cancer alley', and other related terms to come up with information on your own.

Two books of interest to anyone who eats seafood would be:

Ocean's End: Travels Through Endangered Seas, by Colin Woodard

Against the Tide: the Battle for America's Beaches, by Cornelia Dean

Ocean's End talks about how the Black Sea came to be in the condition it is currently in. Against the Tide contains information pertinent to Katrina which predates the event by several years.

This has nothing to do with the story.

Then you haven't gone to the sites or done any investigation. The seafood is contaminated because of farming processes, pollution, dead zones, and other related things. That was the point.

This is what I say to the Asian Wall Street Journal: So what!

Americans should protect themselves from cheaply produced, low quality asian products. Buy american or learn to speak Mandarin.

Perhaps the WSJ story was slanted. They serve a specialized audience and WSJ is not what is used to be.

Maybe the WSJ is just anti-regulatory?

LJ...same tired old buy american post without due dilligence. Try googling FDA recalls and count how many are american.

Sorry I perfer american also but won't bs people for my personal gain.

You can choose local, always buy organic and support farms and farmer's markets. You can do that to help your health and everything else.

Without taxes, the FDA can't do the job it is doing, let alone the job it SHOULD be doing.

We import seafood because we've overfished most of the domestic regions. Ever hear of Atlantic Cod anymore? No. Why? Because by their greed, commercial fisherman depleted the resource until it was virtually gone. Spock said it best in Star Trek IV, " to hunt a species to extinction is illogical".

Sorry to break it to you but the vast majority of meat, poultry and seafood products contain some level of toxins/hormones/antibiotics etc and it doesn't just occur in the rest of the world but in the United States as well. It's completely ignorant to pretend like it doesn't. One reason why imported products have higher levels of toxins is because they have to travel a lot farther to get to your table, so one way to prevent this is to buy local. It is the FDA's job to regulate all of these levels which is why they have established different classification categories for meat, poultry, and fish, most of which are based on years worth of research on the chemical breakdown of these compounds in the human body. True, these regulations are NOT perfect, but the FDA has done their best to establish these regulations and in all honesty, the US has some of the strictest regulations in the world concerning these products.

If you want to be sure that you aren't consuming any "toxic" compounds or antibiotics or hormones your best bet is to purchase products that are organic and free range fed. This is probably the most certain way to ensure that the animals themselves aren't receiving any hormone or antibiotic injections, and that they aren't consuming any feed that has been affected by toxic products either because these products also accumulate in the animals. You really have to do your research to make sure you know what you're consuming.

Maybe who ever imports these products should be taxed for the future health problems! I'm really sick of our government agencies letting the rest of the world screw the US. If they want to do business or trade with US, then they should be forced to accept our standards. I hope the TODAY Show stays on top of this story. Well until the consumer stops purchasing from these sources nothing will change. Nothing speaks louder than $$$$$!

StabCityRoad, I am so with you. We have enough food to feed our country and don't need imports from 3rd world garbage countries who eat trash, and don't mind exporting it to us! I'm so fed UP with this globalism BS!

Maybe we should also tax the fat for their future health problems. Better yet, why don't we increase personaly accountability for our lives, and try to reduce dependence on agencies to do it for us....just saying (and definately not a tea party person)...we have become fat and lazy...we want cheap risk free products, yet we are willing to pose risks to our neighbors and families by our own inactions.

Rant over...peace.