Pierce: From a seafood fanatic - is mercury scare a fish tale?

Lately I've been on the "seafood" diet: I see food, I eat it. (Homonym jokes just lose their zing when you have to spell them out, don't they?)

Seriously, though, since returning from the beach, I have been on a shrimp craze. I've bought every Lean Cuisine shrimp dinner (where else can you get Shrimp Alfredo for 210 calories?), and I've grilled shrimp, baked and boiled them.

I'm starting to sound like Bubba Blue in "Forrest Gump," but the guy was onto something when he called shrimp "the fruit of the sea."

Even when simply boiled, they've got good flavor, and if they're fresh from the Gulf, that all-natural diet means no worries about added antibiotics. Best of all, 3 ounces of boiled shrimp -- six or seven of those big boys -- have only 100 calories.

Fish has always been considered a great source of protein and is lauded for being heart-healthy because its omega-3 fatty acids help prevent blood clots.

So what's not to like about shrimp .... or flounder, or crab or any other seafood?

If you've been reading magazines, you know.

Seafood catches a lot of scrutiny from consumers because of the menace of mercury contamination.

Here's how the Seafood Network Information Center explains it: Mercury exists naturally in the environment. It vaporizes into the air, then rain washes it out of the air and returns it to the soil and bodies of water.

Once it's in the water, it makes its way through the marine food chain: Vegetation is eaten by small fish, which are eaten by big fish, which are eaten by even bigger fish. With each fish feeding, the mercury level compounds.

In 1969, the FDA set a 0.5 part per million action level as the maximum safe limit for mercury in fish. The action level is the point at which the FDA will step in to take a product out of stores.

Ten years later, the FDA raised that to 1 part per million. In 1984, the FDA decided to enforce a methyl mercury level because 1) an acceptable test for methyl mercury was available, and 2) there was evidence that methyl mercury was part of the total mercury count in some fish. (Methyl mercury is the organic mercury form most toxic to humans.)

Environmental groups have sounded the alarm about high levels of toxins in the aquaculture (pen-raised fish) industry.

The American Pregnancy Association has cautioned moms-to-be that no more than 12 ounces of "low-mercury fish" should be consumed in a week. Too much mercury can affect brain or nervous system development, it reported.

The association even posted a chart on its website that equates a mom-to-be's weight with tuna allowance; for example, a woman 150 pounds or more can have one can of white albacore tuna in nine days.

So which are the good fish/bad fish? What does this mean for summer's beach vacationers or deep-sea fishermen?

I asked Pam Kelle, registered dietitian and licensed nutritionist, aka Chattanooga Food Coach.

She had a fairly simple rule to follow that parallels the food-chain premise: "The bigger the fish, the longer the life span, the more the possibility of mercury."

"We don't need to worry about mercury in fatty fish because mercury binds to muscle, not fat, especially with regard to supplemental fish oils," Kelle said.

"Smaller bottom feeders are generally safer ... still, enjoy the big fish (shark, tuna, halibut, marlin) once a month or so."

"Everything comes with some risk, and the risk of dying from heart disease is 50 percent higher in those who do not consume fish that carry omega 3s. So keep fish in your diet and catch your own. Just do your homework and make sure area waters are safe for fish consumption."

Here's a recipe I found online for shrimp that Weight Watchers rates only 4 Points- Plus per serving.

Baked Shrimp Scampi

1 pound uncooked shrimp, peeled and deveined

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

2 tablespoons light butter, melted

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder or 4 gloves of minced garlic

1/4 cup minced shallots

1 teaspoon lemon zest

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

2 tablespoons reduced fat Parmesan cheese

Heat oven to 425 F. Spray a 9- by 13-inch baking dish with butter-flavored nonstick cooking spray. Lay shrimp evenly in dish.

In medium bowl, combine remaining ingredients except Parmesan cheese. Pour mixture over the shrimp, then sprinkle Parmesan cheese over shrimp.

Bake at 425 F for 8 to 10 minutes or until shrimp are done. If desired, garnish with finely chopped parsley before serving. Yields four servings.