Are lobsters caught locally safe to eat?

[fisheromen]

Hey guys,
I never go hoopin but have long admired the yummy lobsters you guys bring up. Anyways, on behalf of a friend who is pregnant, has young boys, and a husband who catches lobsters in the local breakwater, are these lobsters safe to eat? She has been eating quite a bit as well as her younger boys... I always hear how you're not supposed to eat too much fish caught off our local surf / pier due to elevated mercury levels and other toxins...and these lobsters are bottom dwellers and are scavengers...Is there an amount not recommended for pregnant women and young children?

You thoughts / insight would be much appreciated!

Thanks,
fisheromen

[~larissa]

cappo's brought home a few and i still haven't seen him glow... so i think you're safe

[mg2969]

Wow what a great question, I never really thought about it.
I'm not an expert , just my thoughts

Mercury:
Well since their not pelagics I don't think mercury is a problem
I check'd out
http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~frf/sea-mehg.html

High mercury fish , such as shark and swordfish, has like 7-10x more mercury than lobster.

Other toxins:
White croaker is banned from consumption at least as far as I know in Long Beach and San Pedro.
Primarily because of the diet of worms which contains concentrated levels of toxins

Although lobsters do eat worms (probably as juvies), it only makes up a part of their diet.

A lot of SoCal's water is polluted to an extent,
checking out California State Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment at
http://oehha.ca.gov/fish/general/99fish_part2.html

Recommends a few fish caught inside 1 meal per 2 weeks.
Thats probably not bad advice for lobsters either.

Just my 2 cents

[kwest10]

I also wanted to know to what extent is it safe to eat the tomal (guts) of these things. In new england they call it the "butter" or "mustard" I'm asian and my people eat it all. My mom made a hot pot stew and was wondering if it's safe. She's older, 60, or even for myself who would like to make a bisque or coipinno (sp?) out of the shells. Lots of good stock in those things. How should I clean them off?

[Saba Slayer]

The tomally is probably the worst part of a lobster to eat. It is part of the combination liver and pancreas that the lobster has, and it cleans out all the impurities and polution that the lobsters eat....so you probably don't want to eat this very often if at all.
As far as a pregnent woman eating local lobsters and local seafood...I'd probably hold off until after the kid is born and breast feed...or at least limit the amount of meals. When I split a bug in half, I wash out anything that doesn't look like the meat of the bug.
Jim / Saba Slayer

[Ricky-Ray]

I would stay away from the guts. Tried a small bit once...Tasted really nasty. I couldn't figure out how someone could call it the best part of the lobster.

As for eating the local lobsters....I would say just like anything else, if eaten in moderation you should be fine.

If you happen to come across a lobster that has a third eye or antenna..... well I would probably NOT eat that one.

[BIGRED KILLA]

Very bad in are local waters and at the islands best to throw them back.






Bigred

[WaterBound]

Well just remember that the closer you are to the runoff and industrial sites the worse you will be. Power plants will of course be some of the worst areas for mercury. The tomalley tastes awesome! It is an explosion of flavor. For me it was an acquired taste. But, yeah I would not eat it too often either. That is the filter of the system. The appeal might be because of an endorphin release. Kind of like the reaction you get when you eat chilli peppers.

[Bowlfrogg]

I've been eating them for years and have never had a problem. Eat away. I mean wait no they are bad, dont even go out.. That way there will be more for me..

[chris]

the lobsters around here are bad for you. disregard any pictures or posts of me catching or eating lobsters. I repeat the lobsters are no good