The news today is a warning not to eat fish caught in the Sydney Harbour. Some parts of the harbour are less risky than others, but you'd be stupid to chance it.


The question now is: Is the fish in our Fish-n-Chips safe to eat? I now have grave doubts.

I suspect a lot of our Sydney Fish-n-Chip shops buy their fish from the local markets where they are sourced from the harbour waters.

This is not good news. Dioxins are seriously bad toxins.

Read No.5

link

Lord Herbert wrote on Sep 4^th, 2014 at 9:22pm:

The news today is a warning not to eat fish caught in the Sydney Harbour. Some parts of the harbour are less risky than others, but you'd be stupid to chance it. The question now is: Is the fish in our Fish-n-Chips safe to eat? I now have grave doubts. I suspect a lot of our Sydney Fish-n-Chip shops buy their fish from the local markets where they are sourced from the harbour waters. This is not good news. Dioxins are seriously bad toxins. Read No.5 link

I seriously doubt that there's much commercial fishing done inside Sydney Harbour. It's far too busy for one thing.

Relax, your fish & chip's fish probably come out of the commercial waste sewer water of asia ... and that adds to the flavour.

Eat a fish from Sydney Habour?  Not if it glowed in the dark.

Gives a new meaning to silver fish.

I live in a major once-fishing area.,. I commented to someone about buying fresh Flathead fillets from a local producer... and was advised that the producer now imported his fish.

I love Flathead..... to eat...

gizmo_2655 wrote on Sep 4^th, 2014 at 10:02pm:

I seriously doubt that there's much commercial fishing done inside Sydney Harbour. It's far too busy for one thing.

Reasonable comment ... but!!

Who owns the Fish-n-Chip shops? The Greeks, Arabs, and the Turks.

And who has extended tribes of family and rellies in Sydney? The Greeks, Arabs, and Turks.

And which ethnicities are particularly partial to 'recreational fishing' from the harbour foreshores ... ? .... waaaaaaait for it .... The Greeks, Arabs, and Turks.

And which ethnicities are most likely to offload their weekend catch of baby sharks etc from the Sydney Harbour waters to their cousins and uncles in the Take Away foods trade... ? (don't even think of anticipating the answer) .... but yes it's the Greeks, Arabs, and Turks.

I'm a connosewer of Fish-n-Chips Take Away. I've been sold inedible slimy fish to very good quality fish. I know the difference between bottom-feeder sludge-gulping harbour fish to blue water firm-flesh fish.

But now we've got to worry about Dioxins. 

***

Incidentally, as for your comment about Sydney Harbour being far too busy ~ you've obviously never been outside of Australia.

Hong Kong in 1949 when I was there had a harbour that was 10 times more busy than Sydney Harbour is today in the year 2014.

Sydney Harbour is a stagnant pond of inactivity compared to most harbours in the world.

Herbert's certainly not one to shy away from the opportunity to combine a garden variety whine with a dumb as dog sh!t racist rant.

It's been long known that the Nepean river & Sydney harbour have been heavily polluted with dioxins.

Amongst other things.

You can't have a city with Industry & a population of 4.5 million living on a river system & harbour & think there's any chance of it being pristine or without it being polluted.

Commercial fishing was been banned in Sydney Harbour in 2006 and I am surprised it took that long to do something.

Parramatta River, Nepean River, Hawkesbury River are all toxic dumps stemming from 100 years of unregulated industrial dumping and Homebush Bay is a quagmire of toxic waste which seeps up through the soil and has been labelled the dioxin capital of the world.

If you want to eat fish, travel up the coast for a weekend to somewhere like South West Rocks and stock up every few months.

http://www.ozpolitic.com/forum/YaBB.pl?num=1371766682

I think the guidelines are to eat nothing caught upstream of the harbour bridge. For fish caught downstream, there is a guide to tell you how much you can eat. Commercial fishing is banned.

Gnads wrote on Sep 5^th, 2014 at 3:51pm:

It's been long known that the Nepean river & Sydney harbour have been heavily polluted with dioxins. Amongst other things. You can't have a city with Industry & a population of 4.5 million living on a river system & harbour & think there's any chance of it being pristine or without it being polluted.

Exactly.

And that's why I question the legality of Fish-n-Chip shop owners being allowed to accept fish brought in by relatives and friends who do weekend fishing down by the harbour.

'life' here believes there are just as many F&Chip shops owned by Swedes and Russians, Japanese and Sri Lankans in Sydney as there are owned by Greeks, Arabs, and Turks.

He can't get out much.

____ wrote on Sep 4^th, 2014 at 10:42pm:

Relax, your fish & chip's fish probably come out of the commercial waste sewer water of asia ... and that adds to the flavour.

Well spotted, Green.

I'm assuming you're referring to the exposé done by one of our TV shows which showed us fish being bred in netted compounds in the delta regions of the Mekong River in Vietnam where for a thousand miles up-stream the river is used as an open sewer.

That's a thousand miles of sewage passing through these breeding pens.

When they mature, they're snap-frozen, packed, and sent to Australia's supermarkets ...  ;D ;D ;D

That's why I never buy frozen fish of any kind that doesn't come from the oceans or the north Atlantic waters, fjiords, and cods etc offshore from Canada.

I do love Nile Perch though. And I occasionally buy Rainbow Trout from the rivers of Tasmania, and kippers from the seas off Holland. Expensive ~ but a wonderful treat every now and then.

Oh yes, and sardines in tomato sauce and anchovies (to die for wrapped in a roll of plain bread with no nuthin').

Black Orchid wrote on Sep 5^th, 2014 at 5:19pm:

Commercial fishing was been banned in Sydney Harbour in 2006 and I am surprised it took that long to do something. Parramatta River, Nepean River, Hawkesbury River are all toxic dumps stemming from 100 years of unregulated industrial dumping and Homebush Bay is a quagmire of toxic waste which seeps up through the soil and has been labelled the dioxin capital of the world. If you want to eat fish, travel up the coast for a weekend to somewhere like South West Rocks and stock up every few months.

Jesus. What a horror story. Good post.

freediver wrote on Sep 5^th, 2014 at 6:00pm:

http://www.ozpolitic.com/forum/YaBB.pl?num=1371766682 I think the guidelines are to eat nothing caught upstream of the harbour bridge. For fish caught downstream, there is a guide to tell you how much you can eat. Commercial fishing is banned.

They can't be serious.

Who the hell is going to trust one type of fish caught in the same fishing spot as another type of fish that'll have you glowing in the dark?

And what's that deadly disease caught from eating commercially-caught fish that there's the occasional scare about?

And the recurring incidence of whole breeding farms of oysters having to be destroyed because they've become toxic? And oyster managers trying to sell these off before the government inspectors quarantine them? 

I'm not going to eat anything out of Sydney Harbour, but I believe the theory is that it is a cumulative toxin so limiting consumption can work. If you can draw the line somewhere and say it is safe to eat on this side of the line, then you can draw a line a bit closer and say it is safe to eat in limited quantities from there.

Dioxins in Sydney Harbour have been known for decades, but as someone who has dived around Sydney Harbour (inside/outside), it has improved a lot since...
...but still has a long way to go.

We are lucky that it could have been far worse like Hong Kong and other major Port-Cities, that are so far gone that their waters only spawn jellies and other 'parasitic' squidgies.

I still won't eat Seafood from around Sydney (Newcastle & Wollongong) and I don't care if Doyles is offering 2-Heads for the price of one on a Fish  :P

When diving, the best indicator of 'Health' is the SeaWeed & Kelp. Anywhere around Sydney, the plant life is ragged-looking, disease spotted, sparse, small in size and easily broken/dislodged. Most areas around Sydney are 'Urchin Barrens', as are other heavily COMMERCIALLY FISHED areas like Bateman's Bay (from what I have seen).

Poor plant life = poorly oxygenated water = less fish/less healthy fish.

BASA is the Mekong Catfish that is sold in 80% of Australian Fish & Chip Shops, as it is way cheaper, boneless & sweeter in taste. But if anyone has seen that Doco on what feeds these Catfish...
...People pooing and pollution.  :P :o

Australia, like in New Zealand - sells OUR quality fish overseas, while we are sold 'cheap' poor quality imports ...just for the MONEY  ::) made on the exchange.
Anyone had a Myanmar Baramundi?


But hey, if you can't be bothered to go out and Catch your own yourself, or support the up-keep and conservation of our Aquatic Resources...
...then you DESERVE to eat only Mekong Catfish in a Tin from Woolworths!  :P ;)

Anyone who eats the sewer grown hormone fed Vietnamese Catfish.... deceptively called BASA

may as well eat Sydney Harbour fish.

I don't understand how authorities can eventually ban a suspect local product because of toxin/pollutant contamination yet allow the importation of such crap
as BASA...... catfish.

Btw ...... it doesn't taste sweet  ....... it's feckin tasteless/bland.

I got caught eating it once.

freediver wrote on Sep 5^th, 2014 at 9:48pm:

I'm not going to eat anything out of Sydney Harbour, but I believe the theory is that it is a cumulative toxin so limiting consumption can work. If you can draw the line somewhere and say it is safe to eat on this side of the line, then you can draw a line a bit closer and say it is safe to eat in limited quantities from there.

I remember the awful documentary about a seaside village in Japan where a whole generation were rendered dribbling idiots because the water had become contaminated with some sort of mercury or lead run-off.

It was a pitiful sight.

It's a case of "Do you feel lucky, punk?"  ~ then okay ~ eat the fish and switch off the lights to see if you glow in the dark.

It was called Minimata Disease Herb.

Industrial poisoning from MethylMercury in Minimata City in JAPAN.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minamata_disease

Done a bit of fishing off the sow and pigs when younger - close enough to the heads to be OK I think.

However eating fish from up stream has been known to be a problem for 20 years or more.

fish that'll have you glowing in the dark?


With certain algae types in the water it is normal for many species of fish to glow in the dark but its not contagious. People swimming in the same water also go phosphorescent. It is probably not the correct term it may in reality be the result of chemiluminescence I am not sure.

The leatherjackets and a few other species from down that way have bones that are bright green/blue in the middle. Apparently it is a natural thing.

Dnarever wrote on Sep 6^th, 2014 at 9:19am:

Don't a bit of fishing off the sow and pigs when younger - close enough to the heads to be OK I think. However eating fish from up stream has been known to be a problem for over 20 years or more. fish that'll have you glowing in the dark? With certain algae types in the water it is normal for many species of fish to glow in the dark but its not contagious. I would think that people swimming in the same water would also go phosphorescent. It is probably not the correct term it may in reality be the result of chemiluminescence I am not sure.

And you don't think any of these fish can swim/travel up & down the Harbour?  ;D

Gnads wrote on Sep 6^th, 2014 at 9:34am:

Dnarever wrote on Sep 6th, 2014 at 9:19am: Don't a bit of fishing off the sow and pigs when younger - close enough to the heads to be OK I think. However eating fish from up stream has been known to be a problem for over 20 years or more. fish that'll have you glowing in the dark? With certain algae types in the water it is normal for many species of fish to glow in the dark but its not contagious. I would think that people swimming in the same water would also go phosphorescent. It is probably not the correct term it may in reality be the result of chemiluminescence I am not sure. And you don't think any of these fish can swim/travel up & down the Harbour?  ;D

It is more about the fish that live in it, swimming over it once or twice isn't much of an issue. The heavy metals etc are primarily in the sediment on the bottom - bigger impact on bottom feeders (you don't see many Lib politicians in Sydney harbour).

At the mouth of the harbour you can target fish more likely to have come in from the ocean or fish that are known to live on a reef. There are species that do not go upstream.

i.e. Bream would be suspect but Atlantic salmon, kingfish or many shark species would be OK

Even with Bream you have an idea as their colour will change dependant on their environment and diet but still not out of Sydney Harbour.

While I think some locations may well be OK I am afraid that I still would not be doing it today.

Gnads wrote on Sep 6^th, 2014 at 8:15am:

Anyone who eats the sewer grown hormone fed Vietnamese Catfish.... deceptively called BASA

Well said! I was beating my brains out trying to remember the name: The notorious Basa!

I've eaten them too. And then I saw the documentary of how these fish grow fat on a thousand miles of Mekong River effluent drifting past them where they are corralled within netted compounds alongside the banks. 'Basa' is a four-letter word like 'Sh!t' ...


Gnads wrote on Sep 6^th, 2014 at 8:15am:

Btw ...... it doesn't taste sweet  ....... it's feckin tasteless/bland.

That's never been a problem for me. I drown everything in a bath of Tomato Sauce, HP Sauce, Worcester Sauce, vinegar, Tabasco, squeezed lemons, grated cheese, Ground Peppers, salt, etc etc.

With Smoked Cod I only sprinkle them with Mint Sauce. To die for. Smoked Cod ~ cheap, delicious, tremendous value. Serve with peas and mashed potatoes, and sliced tomatoes.

Gnads wrote on Sep 6^th, 2014 at 9:06am:

It was called Minimata Disease Herb. Industrial poisoning from MethylMercury in Minimata City in JAPAN. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minamata_disease

Yes. It's a tragedy that could happen anywhere. We've been lucky so far.

Dnarever wrote on Sep 6^th, 2014 at 9:19am:

Done a bit of fishing off the sow and pigs when younger - close enough to the heads to be OK I think. However eating fish from up stream has been known to be a problem for 20 years or more. fish that'll have you glowing in the dark? With certain algae types in the water it is normal for many species of fish to glow in the dark but its not contagious. People swimming in the same water also go phosphorescent. It is probably not the correct term it may in reality be the result of chemiluminescence I am not sure.

That's it. I used to swim in the luminescent waves on camping trips when we lived in Hong Kong.

freediver wrote on Sep 6^th, 2014 at 9:22am:

The leatherjackets and a few other species from down that way have bones that are bright green/blue in the middle. Apparently it is a natural thing.

'Bone cancer' leaps to mind. Leukemia. Some of these toxins accrue in the bones until they reach a critical point of no return. 

Dnarever wrote on Sep 6^th, 2014 at 9:45am:

Even with Bream you have an idea as their colour will change dependant on their environment and diet but still not out of Sydney Harbour. While I think some locations may well be OK I am afraid that I still would not be doing it today.

It's the cumulative effect of eating these fish in which toxins become concentrated over a period of time.

If it's not fished outside the Harbour Heads ~ then forget it. Send it back to the kitchen and don't believe any bullshit they tell you.

A restaurant was recently fined for blatant false advertising on their menu. Some sludge-dwelling, mud-sucking flatfish being advertised as a blue water delicacy.

I feel lucky all of a sudden  that I cannot afford to buy fish... what about prawns.. I do miss them

cods wrote on Sep 6^th, 2014 at 11:17am:

I feel lucky all of a sudden  that I cannot afford to buy fish... what about prawns.. I do miss them

Fish is the cheapest protein you can buy except for starvation food such as calamari, jellyfish and eels.

Lord Herbert wrote on Sep 6^th, 2014 at 11:23am:

cods wrote on Sep 6th, 2014 at 11:17am: I feel lucky all of a sudden  that I cannot afford to buy fish... what about prawns.. I do miss them Fish is the cheapest protein you can buy except for starvation food such as calamari, jellyfish and eels.

really?.. where do you live here in ACT its like gold dust...I am sorry I wont buy imported fish...dont care what sort of name they put on it...have a grandson who adores fishing.. but he hasnt brought home anything to put in the pan yet....I am going with him one day just to show him how to catch them .. ;) ;)

cods wrote on Sep 6^th, 2014 at 11:31am:

Lord Herbert wrote on Sep 6th, 2014 at 11:23am: cods wrote on Sep 6th, 2014 at 11:17am: I feel lucky all of a sudden  that I cannot afford to buy fish... what about prawns.. I do miss them Fish is the cheapest protein you can buy except for starvation food such as calamari, jellyfish and eels. really?.. where do you live here in ACT its like gold dust...I am sorry I wont buy imported fish...dont care what sort of name they put on it...have a grandson who adores fishing.. but he hasnt brought home anything to put in the pan yet....I am going with him one day just to show him how to catch them .. ;) ;)

Try Smoked Cod simmered face-down in milk for 10 mins ~ then slide the skin off with a knife while it's still in the pan ~ then put the fillets on a plate and sprinkle with mint sauce.

Absolutely delicious.

Lord Herbert wrote on Sep 6^th, 2014 at 11:23am:

cods wrote on Sep 6th, 2014 at 11:17am: I feel lucky all of a sudden  that I cannot afford to buy fish... what about prawns.. I do miss them Fish is the cheapest protein you can buy except for starvation food such as calamari, jellyfish and eels.

I buy rump for as little as $6 per kilo. The cheapest fish you can get is very old mullet at about $8 per kilo, uncleaned. I actually like calamari, but it is a lot more than steak.

cods wrote on Sep 6^th, 2014 at 11:17am:

I feel lucky all of a sudden  that I cannot afford to buy fish... what about prawns.. I do miss them

Anything in the area that lives and feeds off the bottom (where all the heavy metals collect) are by far the worst affected, Prawns are bottom feeders.

This is the reason that imported prawns are cheap and that you can not buy prawns from Sydney harbour. I would think that most Australian commercial prawns are good quality.

freediver wrote on Sep 6^th, 2014 at 12:19pm:

Lord Herbert wrote on Sep 6th, 2014 at 11:23am: cods wrote on Sep 6th, 2014 at 11:17am: I feel lucky all of a sudden  that I cannot afford to buy fish... what about prawns.. I do miss them Fish is the cheapest protein you can buy except for starvation food such as calamari, jellyfish and eels. I buy rump for as little as $6 per kilo.

Whoaaaa... ! Hold it right theeeere...

Poor grade mince beef on a WAY past its Use By Date 'Special' ~ I can believe ... but.


freediver wrote on Sep 6^th, 2014 at 12:19pm:

The cheapest fish you can get is very old mullet at about $8 per kilo, uncleaned. I actually like calamari, but it is a lot more than steak.

I haven't had fish for awhile. I'll check the prices out next time I'm at Woolies or Coles.

Dnarever wrote on Sep 6^th, 2014 at 12:37pm:

cods wrote on Sep 6th, 2014 at 11:17am: I feel lucky all of a sudden  that I cannot afford to buy fish... what about prawns.. I do miss them Anything in the area that lives and feeds off the bottom (where all the heavy metals collect) are by far the worst affected, Prawns are bottom feeders. This is the reason that imported prawns are cheap and that you can not buy prawns from Sydney harbour. I would think that most Australian commercial prawns are good quality.

It's a dodgy food, but I love big prawns, and occasionally treat myself to $10 worth of 'Tigers' etc to peel at home and dip in vinegar for a nice snack in front of the TV in the evening.

I eat a lot of NZ mussels as well.

OK Tedi & Fly Rivers in Papua New Guinea spring to mind in regards to bad pollution.
BHP totally destroyed the environment and then got away 'legally' with not having to clean up their mess.
At the start, the locals got a bit of cash in hand and some jobs ...but they have nothing to spend it on as everything is ruined: trees, rivers, animals.
Open up a fish that is contaminated and its liver is black with mercury and other pollutants. Unedible.
One of the best examples in the world of a vibrant ecosystem that has just died from an over-dose of smack/ice, so to speak.

Seafood, I only get from the upper or lower coasts or from South Australia or New Zealand.

People in the big cities get absolutely CRAP seafood. But hey, most of them don't give a rats about our Aquatic environment, so they deserve the 'tinned' and polluted stuff.

Many places selling Seafood, both BIG and small have often been found to be falsifying 'Labelling' and often quite blatantly. Woolworths & Coles do it often as the profit they make on the 'deception' far outweighs the fines given to them.

I would not touch Vannemei prawns with my noisy neighbours' fork.  They are cheap for a reason.  We should all be black-banning this second rate and polluted cheap seafood when the best of our own is exported.

Buy Australian Tiger Prawns if you must buy any but, like I said before, travel for a few hours up or down the coast once every couple of months and stock up on fresh Aussie seafood.  If we don't buy the inferior and polluted rubbish perhaps they will stop offering it as a rotten alternative.

Lord Herbert wrote on Sep 6^th, 2014 at 12:41pm:

freediver wrote on Sep 6th, 2014 at 12:19pm: Lord Herbert wrote on Sep 6th, 2014 at 11:23am: cods wrote on Sep 6th, 2014 at 11:17am: I feel lucky all of a sudden  that I cannot afford to buy fish... what about prawns.. I do miss them Fish is the cheapest protein you can buy except for starvation food such as calamari, jellyfish and eels. I buy rump for as little as $6 per kilo. Whoaaaa... ! Hold it right theeeere... Poor grade mince beef on a WAY past its Use By Date 'Special' ~ I can believe ... but. freediver wrote on Sep 6th, 2014 at 12:19pm: The cheapest fish you can get is very old mullet at about $8 per kilo, uncleaned. I actually like calamari, but it is a lot more than steak. I haven't had fish for awhile. I'll check the prices out next time I'm at Woolies or Coles.

You have to buy a whole rump - about $40 worth at a time. It is vacuum packed and fresher than the stuff you get at the coles deli for $20. Usually it is $7 per kilo.

Black Orchid wrote on Sep 6^th, 2014 at 3:30pm:

I would not touch Vannemei prawns with my noisy neighbours' fork.  They are cheap for a reason.  We should all be black-banning this second rate and polluted cheap seafood when the best of our own is exported. Buy Australian Tiger Prawns if you must buy any but, like I said before, travel for a few hours up or down the coast once every couple of months and stock up on fresh Aussie seafood.  If we don't buy the inferior and polluted rubbish perhaps they will stop offering it as a rotten alternative.

Till a couple of years back I was going out prawning with my daughter in the lake, had some great times out in the lake after midnight. One new years we were out when the fireworks were going off. You see all sorts of things.

Seen a flock of baby seagulls - never seen them before, one night there were hundreds of crabs wandering about, you can imagine how impressed my 8yo would have been with that. Once there was a fish in the deeper water watching - its eyes were way too far apart, then we had a flathead take a prawn out of my net, I don't fancy fighting a big fish in water above my waist.

One night there were a group of Lebs stepped in front of us - the first thing they netted was an octopus - don't fancy playing with a blue ring myself, they didn't seem to care.

Fresh lake prawns were mostly a bit smallish but very tasty, much better than anything you can buy. Mostly got at least a half k and sometimes lots.

Dnarever wrote on Sep 6^th, 2014 at 9:45am:

Gnads wrote on Sep 6th, 2014 at 9:34am: Dnarever wrote on Sep 6th, 2014 at 9:19am: Don't a bit of fishing off the sow and pigs when younger - close enough to the heads to be OK I think. However eating fish from up stream has been known to be a problem for over 20 years or more. fish that'll have you glowing in the dark? With certain algae types in the water it is normal for many species of fish to glow in the dark but its not contagious. I would think that people swimming in the same water would also go phosphorescent. It is probably not the correct term it may in reality be the result of chemiluminescence I am not sure. And you don't think any of these fish can swim/travel up & down the Harbour?  ;D It is more about the fish that live in it, swimming over it once or twice isn't much of an issue. The heavy metals etc are primarily in the sediment on the bottom - bigger impact on bottom feeders (you don't see many Lib politicians in Sydney harbour). At the mouth of the harbour you can target fish more likely to have come in from the ocean or fish that are known to live on a reef. There are species that do not go upstream. i.e. Bream would be suspect but Atlantic salmon, kingfish or many shark species would be OK Even with Bream you have an idea as their colour will change dependant on their environment and diet but still not out of Sydney Harbour. While I think some locations may well be OK I am afraid that I still would not be doing it today.

;D Shark species? Come off it..... They are harbour & river travellers & eat those up harbour/river bottom
feeders.

Top of the food chain predators are just as likely to be chock full of toxins.

Gnads wrote on Sep 6^th, 2014 at 7:15pm:

Dnarever wrote on Sep 6th, 2014 at 9:45am: Gnads wrote on Sep 6th, 2014 at 9:34am: Dnarever wrote on Sep 6th, 2014 at 9:19am: Don't a bit of fishing off the sow and pigs when younger - close enough to the heads to be OK I think. However eating fish from up stream has been known to be a problem for over 20 years or more. fish that'll have you glowing in the dark? With certain algae types in the water it is normal for many species of fish to glow in the dark but its not contagious. I would think that people swimming in the same water would also go phosphorescent. It is probably not the correct term it may in reality be the result of chemiluminescence I am not sure. And you don't think any of these fish can swim/travel up & down the Harbour?  ;D It is more about the fish that live in it, swimming over it once or twice isn't much of an issue. The heavy metals etc are primarily in the sediment on the bottom - bigger impact on bottom feeders (you don't see many Lib politicians in Sydney harbour). At the mouth of the harbour you can target fish more likely to have come in from the ocean or fish that are known to live on a reef. There are species that do not go upstream. i.e. Bream would be suspect but Atlantic salmon, kingfish or many shark species would be OK Even with Bream you have an idea as their colour will change dependant on their environment and diet but still not out of Sydney Harbour. While I think some locations may well be OK I am afraid that I still would not be doing it today. ;D Shark species? Come off it..... They are harbour & river travellers & eat those up harbour/river bottom feeders. Top of the food chain predators are just as likely to be chock full of toxins.

That is why I specified species because there are also species that are rarely found upstream but you are right most large predators carry things. Marlin and larger fish seem to pick up mercury, older larger Mulloway and Tuna often have lesions and damaged flesh.

Yes Vannemi Prawns are crap.... Virtually grown in the same shyte conditions as Basa... Vietnamese Catfish.

Herb the yellow painted chemically smoke flavoured cod you buy in the supermarket delis are not much better.

You need to get someone to genuinely cold smoke some cod or haddock .....& by that I don't mean kipper cooked/ smoked.

Oh & I love Calmari/ squid .... & it not that cheap.

Fair dinkum I reckon some of you would rave over extruded seafood extender ::)

You certainly seem deprived of decent fish or don' know the difference  :P

freediver wrote on Sep 6^th, 2014 at 6:44pm:

You have to buy a whole rump - about $40 worth at a time. It is vacuum packed and fresher than the stuff you get at the coles deli for $20. Usually it is $7 per kilo.

Yes, well, if you live alone, large packets of meat are out of the question. You can't put it in and out of the freezer all the time.

I usually buy about $12 worth of halal rump at a local Muslim butchery .. cook it up, and then eat it for 2 or three days.

But as cooked meat is a known carcinogen I do this only every 3 months or so.

(And yes. If you want the best meat, then go to a Muslim butchers).

Does the extra suffering make it tastier?

I freeze most of it. Doesn't seem to make that much difference. I doubt it has already been frozen - too big.

Oxygen is a carcinogen. It destroys everything. It will even eat through metal.

freediver wrote on Sep 6^th, 2014 at 9:19pm:

Does the extra suffering make it tastier?

:-[  Owned.

I'll try to resist buying from them in future. Keep my conscience clear. I don't know what they do with the meat, but it's always soft and tender and gristle-free as you won't find any where else.

It could be that they don't pump the meat full of water and add all those chemicals to make it look red and well-preserved like the Australian butchers do.


freediver wrote on Sep 6^th, 2014 at 9:19pm:

I freeze most of it. Doesn't seem to make that much difference. I doubt it has already been frozen - too big.

You need a family to make that a going concern.


freediver wrote on Sep 6^th, 2014 at 9:19pm:

Oxygen is a carcinogen. It destroys everything. It will even eat through metal.

So will Coca Cola.

If you are genetically predisposed to it, the most dangerous carcinogen for 'head-and-neck' cancer is alcoholic beverages. It killed my father and brother. Just molecules of ethanol is enough to trigger the growth process.

The extra suffering of Seafood (any food), as seems the rage in Asia, by cooking the animals 'live' does not make the dish taste any better.

I boil crabs alive.

Yeah well I don't .... I usually kill them with a spike or in a freezer .... then clean them green before cooking.  :P

Gnads wrote on Sep 8^th, 2014 at 7:51pm:

Yeah well I don't .... I usually kill them with a spike or in a freezer .... then clean them green before cooking.  :P

Good on you, Gonads.

No names, but some people enjoy the agonised wailing and the mournful keening sound of creatures in agony as they are slowly being boiled to death.

We can only hope they catch these mud-crabs upstream of the Sydney Harbour Bridge where you can see them glowing a luminescent green on the mudflats after dark ...

No names, but.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=knWpLdlPD88

I'm with Gnads on that one.
Quite inappropriate to listen to a Crab/Lobster/Crayfish 'squealing' in boiling water.

You know what they say about people who pick wings off flies...

Jasin wrote on Sep 8^th, 2014 at 9:40pm:

I'm with Gnads on that one. Quite inappropriate to listen to a Crab/Lobster/Crayfish 'squealing' in boiling water. You know what they say about people who pick wings off flies...

... they end up with body-parts in the fridge ... and in the freezer ... and in pots on the stove .... and in the bath .... and blocking the sewerage pipes .... and they stuff rags under the front door to keep the stench from leaking into the corridors of the apartment building ....  and they're usually GAY ..... and get their victims from GAY BARS when they're not down at the Fish Markets buying WHOPPERS to show their friends on Monday mornings as their Catch of the weekend .... and .....

No names, but.


8-)

Speaking of fish stories ...


Our NSW premier Mike Baird told the story of how he was surfing at an un-netted beach with some friends, when a school of fish raced passed him towards the shallows ~ and he thought ... "This isn't good". He knew what it meant.

And he was right.

He turned to look to the side of him, and sure enough, right next to his board he was being eyeballed by a shark that had now lost all interest in the mackerels, or bait fish, or whatever they were.

It was bad enough to have a shark next to you in the water, and interested in you in a nightmarish sort of way, but it was worse than that.

This fish had attitude. Bad attitude. And it was horribly intelligent. It could strategise.

All the way to the beach this shark tried to bat Baird off his board with his tail ...

And it was persistent.

Baird's words: "It chased me all the way onto the beach".

This was why Baird was not in favour of removing shark netting from Sydney's beaches.

Michael Travis & Co (The Anita Coby Murderers) often picked the wings off flies...
...and they would actually have sex with Pigs and ejaculate inside it before serving it up for the BBQ for family and friends to pig out on.  :P

Jasin wrote on Sep 9^th, 2014 at 5:00pm:

Michael Travis & Co (The Anita Coby Murderers) often picked the wings off flies... ...and they would actually have sex with Pigs and ejaculate inside it before serving it up for the BBQ for family and friends to pig out on.  :P

They are Poster Boys for the Death Penalty.

***

Mind you, I was watching a doco/reality show from America's Southern Georgia featuring the trial of a mass murderer who was on trial for bludgeoning to death 8 of his close family in a trailer park.

What surprised me was that in Southern Georgia the jury not only decide the guilt or innocence, but also the penalty ~ including the death penalty.

These jury members were mostly illiterate imbeciles with calloused thumbs from playing too much backwoods banjo.

Nobody's life should depend on the 'gut feeling' of a dozen retards chewin' straws in the jury box.

Them was hillbillies with no education and highly suspect genes ...

Lord Herbert wrote on Sep 9^th, 2014 at 9:02am:

Speaking of fish stories ... Our NSW premier Mike Baird told the story of how he was surfing at an un-netted beach with some friends, when a school of fish raced passed him towards the shallows ~ and he thought ... "This isn't good". He knew what it meant. And he was right. He turned to look to the side of him, and sure enough, right next to his board he was being eyeballed by a shark that had now lost all interest in the mackerels, or bait fish, or whatever they were. It was bad enough to have a shark next to you in the water, and interested in you in a nightmarish sort of way, but it was worse than that. This fish had attitude. Bad attitude. And it was horribly intelligent. It could strategise. All the way to the beach this shark tried to bat Baird off his board with his tail ... And it was persistent. Baird's words: "It chased me all the way onto the beach". This was why Baird was not in favour of removing shark netting from Sydney's beaches.

If you are in the water with a shark that wants to eat you, you have no chance. They can swim about 100 times faster. He made it to shore because the shark did not want to take a bite. At most, it was interested.

When sharks are chasing fish, they go after fish. They are mentally focused on fish. It is when they are chasing seals and turtles that you have to watch out.

Mike Baird was safe .... sharks don't eat Politicians whole

they spit that bit out.

It probably recognised he was a Lieberal & knew he would be full of shyte.

Anyways the ocean is the sharks domain not Bairds ... what happened should have SFA to with shark nets.

Sharks get inside them all the time .... they(the nets) kill more innocent marine animals like turtles, dolphins & whales.

freediver wrote on Sep 9^th, 2014 at 7:12pm:

When sharks are chasing fish, they go after fish. They are mentally focused on fish. It is when they are chasing seals and turtles that you have to watch out.

Shark behaviour is still a mystery.

It's been observed time and again that a shark will swim through a crowd of people swimming at a beach before then biting a certain person.

There's a type of sole in the waters of the Red Sea that sharks never bite because of its deadly poison.

It's surprising there's still no effective shark deterrent for people who sail boats around the coastal waters. 

Lord Herbert wrote on Sep 6^th, 2014 at 8:02pm:

freediver wrote on Sep 6th, 2014 at 6:44pm: You have to buy a whole rump - about $40 worth at a time. It is vacuum packed and fresher than the stuff you get at the coles deli for $20. Usually it is $7 per kilo. Yes, well, if you live alone, large packets of meat are out of the question. You can't put it in and out of the freezer all the time. I usually buy about $12 worth of halal rump at a local Muslim butchery .. cook it up, and then eat it for 2 or three days. But as cooked meat is a known carcinogen I do this only every 3 months or so. (And yes. If you want the best meat, then go to a Muslim butchers).

So by buying that HALAL meat you are unwittingly or not putting money into the hands of Muslim/Islamic  organisations & I bet some of that ends up supporting
terrorists.

I only buy fish from our local fishmonger, whom says it's all Australian fish, but now I am worried, and, I have to ask, what part of Oz it comes from! :o
And also, all that gel capsules of krill/clamari/omega 3 oil, in bottles, one has to ask where it came from also!

Lord Herbert wrote on Sep 9^th, 2014 at 8:04pm:

freediver wrote on Sep 9th, 2014 at 7:12pm: When sharks are chasing fish, they go after fish. They are mentally focused on fish. It is when they are chasing seals and turtles that you have to watch out. Shark behaviour is still a mystery. It's been observed time and again that a shark will swim through a crowd of people swimming at a beach before then biting a certain person. There's a type of sole in the waters of the Red Sea that sharks never bite because of its deadly poison. It's surprising there's still no effect shark deterrent for people who sail boats around the coastal waters.

Something I recall, that sharks go for bright colours, such as yellow, and also anything or anyone, that makes sudden movements.

There's a nice new Wetsuit out that is banded Black & White striped like a Krait SeaSnake.
This principle works upon the Shark's vision that is weak in 'contrast' and is much like what Zebra's use.
Apparently it works - so far.

It's a shame that Human's aren't intelligent enough to understand animals enough  in order to co-exist by 'mastery' and instead 'destroy' them.

If there is a big Shark in the water, I don't go in. Simple.
Not until I can find a safer way to do so...
...without having to kill/destroy it.

Gnads wrote on Sep 10^th, 2014 at 11:25am:

So by buying that HALAL meat you are unwittingly or not putting money into the hands of Muslim/Islamic  organisations & I bet some of that ends up supporting terrorists.

I won't be doing it in future.  :-[

Sophia wrote on Sep 10^th, 2014 at 11:33am:

I only buy fish from our local fishmonger, whom says it's all Australian fish, but now I am worried, and, I have to ask, what part of Oz it comes from! :o And also, all that gel capsules of krill/clamari/omega 3 oil, in bottles, one has to ask where it came from also!

Why do you think I keep cats??? Three of them ???

I give them each a small portion of fish I'm about to fry, and if two out of three of them turn their nose up ~ then I toss the fish into the neighbour's swimming pool to sink to the bottom.

Sophia wrote on Sep 10^th, 2014 at 11:35am:

Something I recall, that sharks go for bright colours, such as yellow, and also anything or anyone, that makes sudden movements.

Correct! Don't wear yellow or any bright coloured swimming gear.

The Great White that just killed a 50yr old fellow at Byron Bay never intended to kill him. Totally innocent.

This shark had every opportunity to tear this fellow to shreds and swallow him in comfortable portions ... but even after tasting blood ~ lots of it ~ it swam away.

Everyone knows that sharks take an initial bite to analyse the suitability of a prospective meal.

Quote:

Something I recall, that sharks go for bright colours, such as yellow, and also anything or anyone, that makes sudden movements.

Anything bright and reflective (eg a watch face, or a white strip on your clothes) could get mistaken for a fish in dirty water.


Quote:

It's been observed time and again that a shark will swim through a crowd of people swimming at a beach before then biting a certain person.

This is no different to me shooting a certain fish out of a school of them. It would not be very obvious to an onlooker why I chose that specific one.


Quote:

Sharks get inside them all the time .... they(the nets) kill more innocent marine animals like turtles, dolphins & whales.

Sharks are also innocent.

freediver wrote on Sep 10^th, 2014 at 5:45pm:

Sharks are also innocent.

Let's not get carried away with this. Next we'll be saying sharks are cute and cuddly.

Pelagic white-tip sharks are genuine man-eaters. They are the piranhas of the oceans. They'll eat the meat off a man's legs like we strip the chicken pieces off a shishkebab.

Bullsharks up the rivers will go for swimmer knowing full well it's not a seal or a turtle.

Tiger sharks, mako, hammer-heads ... they'll pull you off a surf board and snack on you because we're good eatin'.

The ocean is the shark's home, as land is ours.
Do sharks come into our territory? Yet we go into theirs.
We do have chips, and flake in our dining area, so I guess, if we go in the water, it's a sharks dining area, right?

Basically if you thrash about for many Shark species, it excites them a tad, some more than others.
The Tiger Shark prefers a prey that doesn't move as much - being a scavenger, it prefers something 'dead' looking.

Most Sharks hone in on the smell of urine/wee wee in the water as a person can thus actually smell like an animal.
This was the case for one South African Surfer who survived x3 Great White Attacks (once with two at the same time!  :o) - the reason why they always chose him amongst the others is because he Wee-Wee a lot in the water.

Being fully clothed (ie: shoes, socks, long pants) does help to nullify the smell of skin a lot.

Sharks are colour-blind, they only see things in contrast of bright & dark.

Most GWShark attacks in WA have been via Scuba Divers 'spearfishing', which is legal in WA. The dead fish attracting the Sharks. On one occasion, such Scuba Spearo's returned to the same spot the following year after they lost a mate to a GWShark and were (obviously  ::)) attacked again.

Certain Beaches are known 'hot spots' for Shark activity, with Sharks hanging off the 'Points' for some 'oxygenation' - but many 'Surfers' flaunt the 'bravado' of surfing such places and basically just 'ask for it', although they insist the Sharks should be culled away.

Education is the main advantage, especially getting to know the area you are about to swim/dive in.
The lady at Tathra may have been better off not to become isolated, let alone swimming at the Dawn/Dusk periods.
The Navy Diver who got attacked in Sydney Harbour: the place was known by locals as a feeding spot for Bulls at Dusk.
Lady in QLD who got taken by Bullsharks, wadding in knee-deep water with her dog in an 'estuary' entrance which are common 'hotspots' for shark activity especially when the tide is going out.

Me? Well when snorkling off Port Lincoln at 5 metres deep, I suddenly found myself with a Kingfish and his 3 wives hugging me closely I could touch them. Then I remembered being in Gordons Bay (Scuba) in Sydney when surrounded by a Baitball of fish (sounded like a chandelier moving about) for 'protection' from the attacking KingFish.
So I decided to move closer to shore - just in case.

WA & SthAust Great Whites are a different breed of Shark to those of the Tasman Sea, although they both mix around Tasmania, they never interbreed. I consider the Tasman Sea Great Whites a bit more 'placid' ...maybe because there are more ORCA to keep them 'humble'. ;)?

Sophia wrote on Sep 10^th, 2014 at 9:42pm:

The ocean is the shark's home, as land is ours.

Nope. That's PC orthodoxy.

Humans belong everywhere ~ even in the skies at 37,000 feet travelling at 750mph.

We have no fur on our bodies precisely because we came from the coastal waters where fur would have slowed our progess through the water as we hunted.


Sophia wrote on Sep 10^th, 2014 at 9:42pm:

Do sharks come into our territory?

They sure do. Bullsharks can be found miles up rivers looking for a bit of 'Long Pig' (that's us) to nibble on.


Sophia wrote on Sep 10^th, 2014 at 9:42pm:

Yet we go into theirs.

Several million tons of food stuffs are thrown overboard from ships, boats, dingies, etc that sharks feed upon. We pay our dues for being out there.


Sophia wrote on Sep 10^th, 2014 at 9:42pm:

We do have chips, and flake in our dining area, so I guess, if we go in the water, it's a sharks dining area, right?

Correct. Chips and small flake for them too, but not us.  8-)