High dioxin levels found in Baltic fish

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http://www.hs.fi/english/article/High+dioxin+levels+in+sea+trout+in+Baltic+Sea/1135246075217

Sea trout caught in Finnish rivers have as high levels of dioxin and PCB as salmon and Baltic herring in the Baltic Sea. The toxin levels in sea trout exceed the EU limits, with little variation according to the river that the fish spawn in. The fish are exposed to the dioxin during their migrations in the Baltic. The Finnish Food Safety Authority (EVIRA) commissioned a study on the sea trout of seven salmon rivers, and with the exception of one, all of the fish caught in the rivers exceeded the limits set by the EU.

The toxin levels were nearly the same, regardless of whether or not the sample was taken from the pristine Tornio River in the north, or the polluted Kymi River in the south of Finlnad. The highest levels were measured in sea trout from the River Aura, where dioxin levels were nearly twice the maximum permissible level. Only the fish in the Merikarvia River were below the maximum of eight picograms. Lake trout were not examined, as dioxin levels in Finnish lakes are low.

The results of the study came as a surprise to EVIRA research professor Anja Hallikainen. “The result was so even, regardless of where the sample was taken. Being in a river certainly does not purify the fish”, she notes. Hallikainen says that sea trout should now be classified in the same group with salmon caught in the Baltic, and with large Baltic herring, for which EVIRA has issued exceptions to the general recommendations for eating fish.Children, young people, adults of childbearing age, and pregnant women are urged to limit their consumption of sea trout, salmon, or large Baltic herring to one or two servings of no more than 100 grams in a month.
However, Hallikainen does not see the situation as excessively worrisome. “Salmon and Baltic herring have been a cause for concern for so many years, that it is good that we now know the situation pertaining to sea trout, and can make recommendations for eating it”, she says. “The idea is not to stop eating fish, but rather to have fish in a varied way on a weekly basis, and to understand their chemical content.”

Finland and Sweden have been granted special permission to market Baltic salmon and herring with excessive dioxin content through the end of 2011.

Dioxin levels in salmon and Baltic herring have remained high in the Baltic, in spite of reduced emissions into the sea. It is expected that Finland will have to apply for an extension of its special permission, as it is unlikely that the dioxin content will fall below the maximum levels in the allotted time.

Sea trout migrate from the rivers where they were hatched to an extensive area, all the way to the southern part of the Baltic Sea. Researcher Ari Saura of the Finnish Game and Fisheries Research Institute emphasises that toxins in the fish do not come from the rivers, but rather from the sea, where they grow. During their migrations, the sea trout eat Baltic herring and sprat.
Professional fishermen caught 68 tonnes of sea trout in 2007. Catches have declined in recent years.
Amateur fishermen caught 187 tonnes of sea trout in 2006.
The most important rivers for fishing are the Tornio and Kymi rivers. On the Finnish side of the Tornio River, which forms the border with Sweden, an average of 2,400 kilos of sea trout are caught each year. At the Korkeakoski rapids in the Kymi River, 1,227 kilos of sea trout were caught last year.