A fisherman has called into question a Government warning not to eat certain varieties of fish due to "high" mercury content.

In December, the Department of Health said pregnant women and young children should not eat blue marlin, swordfish, shark, king mackerel and tilefish. It also advised that amberjack, deep water red snapper, grouper and jacks should not be consumed more than once a week.

But David Soares, a commercial fisherman of 20 years, says that US research proves mercury levels in fish are safe.

"It's the general consensus that mercury levels in fish are below standards and are OK," he said. "They are well below US Food and Drug Administration standards. And there is also no scientific evidence that mercury is bad for you. It's organic mercury, part of the environment.

"Government's research and the research I've done is completely contradictory, so I'd like Government to look into it more. I believe the study was done specifically for pregnant women, but this is still inconclusive."

Mr. Soares, 35, of Pembroke, says the Government warning has affected business as fishermen are finding it harder to sell on their catch to restaurants. Swordfish is being shunned more than other varieties, with some fishermen now taking longer than a day to sell what used to be traded in one evening.

"The mercury warning put a big scare into a lot of people, particularly restaurants — the head chefs say they don't want the fish due to the mercury in it," said Mr. Soares.

"It is cutting down on our livelihoods and placing us under pressure, as we can't sell the fish we're catching. It takes a couple of days to sell some types now, whereas before you could probably get rid of it in one night."

Mr. Soares fishes from between two to three miles offshore, to 50 miles off Bermuda.

He said: "If the standards for the US are OK, why wouldn't they be OK here? We're no different — it all comes out of the same ocean."

Mr. Soares cites the Center for Consumer Freedom's report that research has contradicted the 'Madison Declaration' on mercury toxicity in March 2007. A study published in medical journal The Lancet in February of last year said there was "no evidence to lend support to the warnings... that pregnant women should limit their seafood consumption".

National Institutes of Health researcher Dr. Joseph Hibbeln has said "the harm (from mercury in fish) is unlikely to be greater than the overall benefits of nutrients at the concentrations usually found in seafood".

In December, Chief Medical Officer John Cann said some local fish varieties contained "high levels of mercury". Dr. Cann said: "In December 2007, the Department of Health issued an advisory to local physicians that pregnant women, breastfeeding women, women planning to become pregnant and young children should limit the consumption of fish with high levels of mercury.

"However, since fish provide an excellent source of essential nutrients which are beneficial to everyone, it is recommended that fish with lower levels of mercury contamination should continue to be consumed on a regular basis by the general population, including pregnant women and young children.

"This advisory is in accordance with the US Environmental Protection Agency Guidelines for America."

Barber, chub, dolphinfish, canned light tuna, salmon, shrimp and pollock were all classed as safe to eat, and the following no more than twice a week: bonita, coney, hind, spiny lobster, robin, snapper, black and yellowfin tuna and wahoo.

Government was unavailable for comment yesterday, but a commissioned report last year — 'Balancing the Risks and the Benefits of Local Fish Consumption in Bermuda', recommends pregnant women should avoid swordfish and blue marlin.

Researchers Dr. Eric Dewailly of CHUL (CHUQ), Quebec, and Dr. Philippe Rouja, of the Department of Conservation Services, examined mercury levels in 307 fish from 43 species between 2003-6. They also called for more research, stating: "It is important to note that there is natural variability within species groups and sometimes between specimens from the same fish. There are important and interesting questions that still need to be answered about the variability and potential seasonality of both mercury and fat levels in local fish that require more research.

"In addition the sample size for some species has been limited and some species still need to be sampled. As more data become available the recommendations made here should be assessed and updated when necessary."

For more information log onto: www.health.gov.bm or call the Chief Medical Office on 278-4900.